Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at The Elmhurst Practice on 20 December 2016. Overall the practice is rated as Good.

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

• Staff assessed patients’ needs and delivered care in line with current evidence based guidance. Staff had been trained to provide them with the skills, knowledge and experience to deliver effective care and treatment.​

• 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.
• There was an open and transparent approach to safety and an effective system in place for reporting and recording significant events.
• The practice ran a ‘one-stop clinic’ for patients with two or more long-term conditions. This was held annually and gave patients the opportunity to have discussions about their health needs with both the practice nurse and doctor.
• 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. Improvements were made to the quality of care as a result of complaints and concerns.
• The practice had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs. The facilities were based on the ground floor where patients could access clinical treatment rooms via wide corridors.
• 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 practice ran a yearly review clinic for patients with learning difficulties with an extended clinical session with a GP.
• The provider was aware of and complied with the requirements of the duty of candour.
• The practice had an active PPG, who with the practice management team hosted events to engage with the practice population and wider community.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice