This practice is rated as Good overall. (Previous inspection January 2015 – Good)

The key questions are rated as:

Are services safe? – Good

Are services effective? – Good

Are services caring? – Good

Are services responsive? – Good

Are services well-led? - Good

As part of our inspection process, we also look at the quality of care for specific population groups. The population groups are rated as:

Older People – Good

People with long-term conditions – Good

Families, children and young people – Good

Working age people (including those recently retired and students) – Good

People whose circumstances may make them vulnerable – Good

People experiencing poor mental health (including people with dementia) - Good

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at The Devonshire Practice on 22 February 2018 as part of our inspection programme.

At this inspection we found:

• The practice had clear systems to manage risk so that safety incidents were less likely to happen. When incidents did happen, the practice learned from them and improved their processes.

• The practice routinely reviewed the effectiveness and appropriateness of the care it provided. It ensured that care and treatment was delivered according to evidence- based guidelines.

• Staff involved and treated patients with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.

• Patients found the appointment system easy to use and reported that they were able to access care when they needed it.

• There was a strong focus on continuous learning and improvement at all levels of the organisation.

• Patients with a learning disability or whose first language was not English were automatically booked an extended appointment time.

• The practice used the Electronic Frailty Index (EFI) for patients over 65 years to help identify and predict risks for older patients in primary care. Patients identified as living with severe frailty were also reviewed every month at multi-disciplinary meetings in order to co-ordinate care to meet individual needs.

• The practice offered same day appointments and a ‘sit and wait’ service for patients who did not have an appointment.

• The practice used a text message system to remind patients of appointments.

The areas where the provider should make improvements are:

• Review the clinical auditing and quality improvements processes to evidence positive outcomes for patients.

• Review thetelephone access to increase patient satisfaction.

Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGPChief Inspector of General Practice

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Dr O’Donovan and Partners on 7 January 2015. Overall the practice is rated as good.

Specifically, we found the practice to be good for providing safe, effective, well-led, caring and responsive services. It was also good for providing services for older people, people experiencing poor mental health (including people with dementia), people whose circumstances may make them vulnerable, people with long term conditions. families, children and young people and working age people (including those recently retired and students).

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.
• Patients’ needs were assessed and care was planned and delivered following best practice guidance. Staff had received training appropriate to their roles 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. Results from the GP survey to March 2014 showed that 89.5% of those patients surveyed felt that their overall experience of the practice was either good or very good
• Information about services and how to complain was available and easy to understand.
• 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 sought feedback from patients, which it acted on.

 Importantly the provider should:

• Ensure registered patients with a learning disability have access to medical reviews where this is not provided by the practice.
• Ensure any member of staff acting as a chaperone is trained for the role
• Provide guidance for staff in regard to the actions to take if the temperature of a medicines fridge is outside the recommended safe range.
• Review the information provided for patients in the practice leaflet and on the practice website to ensure it is accurate and consistent.
• Take action to address the difficulties experienced by patients who attempted to contact the practice by telephone.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice