We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at The Thaxted Surgery on 18 November 2015. Overall the practice is rated as good. The practice is rated as good for each of the domains and all of the population groups.

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.
• Learning from when things went wrong was widely shared with staff through meetings and discussions. People affected by safety incidents were offered an explanation and an apology.
• There were systems for assessing and managing risks. There were systems for assessing risks including risks associated with medicines, premises, fire, equipment and infection control.
• The practice fire alarm system was linked to and triggered by a number of smoke detectors within the practice. There were no other systems for raising an alarm in the event of an outbreak of fire (such as in case of fire break glass fire alarm).
• Patients’ needs were assessed and care was planned and delivered following best practice guidance. Clinical audits and reviews were carried out to make improvements to patient care and treatment.

• Staff performance was appraised and any further training needs had been identified and planned.

• Patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and they were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment.
• Information about services and how to complain was available and easy to understand. Complaints were investigated and responded to appropriately and apologies given to patients when things went wrong or their experienced poor care or services.
• Patients said they found it easy to make an appointment with a named GP and that 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.

However there were areas of practice where the provider needs to make improvements.

Importantly the provider Should:

• Review the procedures for raising an alarm in the event of an outbreak of fire within the practice.

• Review the checking procedures for medicines within the dispensary so that they are checked more frequently to identify when medicines have expired.

• Maintain copies of the appropriate checks including employment references are carried out when staff are employed.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

We inspected the Thaxted Surgery on 22 October 2013. We found the staff courteous at the reception desk and the waiting room suitable for the practice population.

There was a varied selection of information on the notice boards in the waiting room for the benefit of the patients. The information included notices about the surgery, health promotion, safeguarding and other support services.

We received positive comments from ten people visiting the surgery on the day of inspection. One person told us: "It’s easy to get an appointment, and I’ve always found it okay to get through on the phone."

We saw that staff spoke politely to people and that consultations were carried out in private treatment rooms.

The doctors we spoke with told us they involved people in their care. We saw the surgery had appropriate arrangements in place to obtain medication.

We spoke with four members of staff about the support they received and saw records of appraisals, regular training, staff meetings, and staff development.

We saw the surgery held both paper based and electronic records that were appropriately stored and maintained.