Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at The Farley Road Medical Practice on 18 January 2017. Overall the practice is rated as good.

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

• There was an open and transparent approach to safety and an effective system in place for reporting and recording significant events.
• Risks to patients were assessed and well managed.
• 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.

• Data from the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) showed patient outcomes were at or above average compared to the national average. Rates of exception reporting were generally comparable to or below local and national averages, but there were a few indicators where the practice excepted more patients than the local and national average. (Exception reporting is the removal of patients from QOF calculations where, for example, the patients are unable to attend a review meeting or certain medicines cannot be prescribed because of side effects.)

• Rates for some childhood immunisations for under two years old were a little below the national expectation of coverage (90%).

• 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.
• 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 had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs.
• The practice carried out clinical audits, but most of these were not repeated to check for improvement.
• 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 and complied with the requirements of the duty of candour.

The areas where the provider should make improvement are:

• Monitor exception rates to determine if procedures are operating effectively to identify patients who need support and those who shouldn’t be included in performance data.

• Monitor and consider ways to maintain and improve rates of childhood immunisation.

• Strengthen quality improvement, with more completed audits or other activities to check that improvement is made and sustained.

Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP 

Chief Inspector of General Practice