Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at St Hilda’s Surgery on 20 September 2017. Overall the practice is rated as good.

We had previously inspected the practice in November 2014 and they required improvement in safe. At this inspection the practice was good in safe.

Our key findings across all the areas we inspected were as follows:

• There was an open and transparent approach to safety and a system in place for reporting and recording significant events.
• The practice had clearly defined and embedded systems to minimise risks to patient safety.
• Staff were aware of current evidence based guidance. Staff had been trained to provide them with the skills and knowledge to deliver effective care and treatment.
• Results from the national GP patient survey showed patients were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment.
• Information about services and how to complain was available. Improvements were made to the quality of care as a result of complaints and concerns.
• Patients we spoke with said they found it easy to make an appointment with a named GP and there was continuity of care, with urgent appointments available the same day.
• The practice had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs.
• There was a clear leadership structure and staff felt supported by management. The practice proactively sought feedback from staff and patients, which it acted on.
• The provider was aware of the requirements of the duty of candour. Examples we reviewed showed the practice complied with these requirements.

The areas where the provider should/must make improvement are:

Staff should routinely check stock balances of controlled drugs in accordance with the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) to ensure the amounts held reflected what was recorded in the registers.

There should be a risk assessment in place for legionella (Legionella is a term for a particular bacterium which can contaminate water systems in buildings).

Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGPChief Inspector of General Practice

We reviewed the information available to us about St Hilda's Surgery on 6 June 2019. We did not find evidence of significant changes to the quality of service being provided since the last inspection. As a result, we decided not to inspect the surgery at this time. We will continue to monitor this information about this service throughout the year and may inspect the surgery when we see evidence of potential changes.