Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced inspection at Plane Trees Group Practice on 23 March 2015. Overall the practice is rated as good.

We found the practice to be good for providing caring, safe and responsive, well led and effective services. It was also good for providing services for older people, people with long term conditions, families, children and young people and the working age population.

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

• Staff understood and fulfilled their responsibilities to raise concerns, and to report incidents. Information about safety was recorded, monitored, appropriately reviewed and addressed.

• Risks to patients were assessed and managed, including those relating to recruitment checks.

• 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.

• Information about services and how to complain was available and easy to understand. Complaints would be addressed in a timely manner and the practice endeavoured to resolve complaints to a satisfactory conclusion.

• 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.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice