Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

This is a focused desk top review of evidence supplied by The Northenden Group Practice, for two areas, within the key question safe. We found the practice to be good in providing safe services. Overall, the practice is rated as good. 

The practice was inspected on 2 July 2015. The inspection was a comprehensive inspection under the Health and Social Care Act 2008. At that inspection, the practice was rated ‘good’ overall. However, within the key question safe, safe care and treatment and fit and proper persons employed were identified as ‘requires improvement’, as the practice was not meeting the legislation at that time; Regulation 12 HSCA (RA) Regulations 2014 Safe care and treatment and Regulation 19 HSCA (RA) Regulations 2014 Fit and proper persons employed. 

The practice supplied an action plan and a range of documents which demonstrated they are now meeting the requirements of Regulation 12 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 Safe care and treatment and Regulation 19 HSCA (RA) Regulations 2014 Fit and proper persons employed.

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 Northenden Group Practice on 2 July 2015. 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, with the exception of those relating to recruitment checks.
• Patients’ needs were assessed and care was planned and delivered following best practice guidance. Most staff had received training appropriate to their roles and 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.
• Patients said they found it difficult to get through to the practice on the telephone, and feedback about the appointment system was mixed. Same day appointments were available.
• 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 must:

• Ensure they follow their recruitment procedures so that appropriate checks are carried out prior to employing staff. A Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check must be obtained for all clinical staff.
• Ensure all staff had received up to date mandatory training such as fire training and, basic life support training and infection control training.
• Ensure that a fire risk assessment is carried out for the Gatley Green Surgery.

Additionally the provider should:

• Arrange training in the Mental Capacity Act 2005.
• Replace disposable privacy curtains every six months.
• Closely monitor the appointment and telephone system taking into account patient satisfaction.
• Update the business continuity plan.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

We reviewed the information available to us about The Northenden Group Practice on 19 April 2019. We did not find evidence of significant changes to the quality of service being provided since the last inspection. As a result, we decided not to inspect the surgery at this time. We will continue to monitor this information about this service throughout the year and may inspect the surgery when we see evidence of potential changes.