Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Stanton Surgery on 16 June 2016. Overall the practice is rated as good.

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

• Staff understood and fulfilled their responsibilities to raise concerns, and to report incidents and near misses. Information about safety was recorded,monitored, appropriately reviewed and addressed.
• Risks to patients were assessed and well managed.
• Staff assessed patients’ needs and delivered care inline with current evidence based guidance. Staff had been trained to provide them with the skills,knowledge and experience to deliver effective care and treatment.
• Feedback from patients about their care was consistently positive. Patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and they were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment. Data from the National GP Patient Survey published in January 2016 showed that patients rated the practice higher than others for several aspects of care.
• Information about services and how to complain was available and easy to understand. Improvements were made to the quality of care as a result of complaints and concerns.
• Patients 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 were often able to pre-book appointments within 24 hours of patient request, alongside on the day appointments.
• 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 well supported by management. The practice proactively sought feedback from staff and patients,which it acted on.
• The provider was aware of and complied with the requirements of the duty of candour.

We saw one area of outstanding practice:

• The practice team was forward thinking and part of local pilot schemes to improve outcomes for patients in the area, such as monthly shared practice nurse and diabetic specialist nurse clinics for patients with diabetes who had complex needs. This had been well received by patients and staff, who felt that it offered good learning opportunities alongside enhanced patient care.

The areas where the provider should make improvement are:

• Ensure that staff appraisals are undertaken in a timely manner.

• Continue to review and update procedures and guidance.
• Undertake regular fire drills.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice