Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at The Village Surgery on 16 August 2016. Overall the practice is rated as good.

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

• The practice demonstrated an open and transparent approach to safety. There were systems in place to enable staff to report and record significant events. Learning from significant events was shared with relevant staff.

• Risks to patients were assessed and well managed. There were arrangements in place to review risks on an ongoing basis to ensure patients and staff were kept safe.
• Staff delivered care and treatment in line with evidence based guidance and local guidelines. Training was provided for staff to ensure they had the skills and knowledge required to deliver effective care and treatment for patients.
• Staff undertook health promotion events to encourage healthy living in a variety of innovative ways, for example taking to the streets dressed as a cigarette handing out smoking cessation advice.
• Feedback from patients was that they were treated with kindness, in a friendly manner respected and were involved in decisions about their care.
• Regular clinical audits were undertaken within the practice to drive improvement, shared within the group of three practices and future ones planned to maximise the effectiveness.
• 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 generally found it easy to make an urgent appointment and that staff would always accommodate them where possible.
• The practice had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs. Adjustments had been made to the premises to ensure these were suitable for patients with a disability.
• There was a clear leadership structure which all staff were aware of. Staff told us they felt supported by the partners and 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.

We saw areas of outstanding practice which included

• The partners had highlighted the rate of teenage pregnancy at the practice was the highest in Derbyshire. School nurses were unable to give contraceptive advice, the nearest family planning clinic was in a local town three miles away and the surgery had no female medical staff.The practice had initiated a pilot to bring family planning consultants into the practice which had led to significant reductions in the rate of teenage pregnancy compared to others in the local area and continuing increase in contraceptive prescribing to under 18s.

• The practice adopted improvement to ensure uptake of screening for patients with a learning disability was increased which had been recognised nationally

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice