Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at The Wick Health Centre on 8 November 2016. Overall the practice is rated as Good.

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

• Risks to patients were assessed although not all recommended mitigating actions had been carried out and not all electrical and clinical equipment had been tested to make sure it was safe to use or working properly.
• There were processes in place to manage medicines but there were gaps in how processes were implemented, particularly in the management of prescriptions.
• Patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and they were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment but two consulting rooms had not been equipped with privacy curtains.
• 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.
• There was an open and transparent approach to safety and an effective system in place for reporting and recording significant events.
• 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.
• 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

• Consider maintaining records of internal chaperone training given to members of staff.
• Review procedures for managing medicines to include putting steps in place to undertake earlier reviews of uncollected prescriptions and consider involving GPs in this process.
• Continue to safely manage stocks of medicines held on patient’s behalf including keeping a record of batch numbers so that specific items are identifiable in the event of a safety alert.
• Ensure blank prescriptions pads are handled in accordance with national guidance and that stock levels of handwritten prescription pads reflect the needs of the practice.
• When undertaking calibration of clinical equipment and safety tests of electrical equipment, consider using an inventory schedule to ensure that all equipment is included.
• Consider implementing a programme of quality improvement initiatives to improve patient outcomes which reflects the needs of the practice population.
• Review how carers are identified and recorded on the clinical system to ensure information, advice and support is made available to all.
• Continue to address the lack of privacy curtains in consulting rooms with the owners of the building.
• Continue to address issues identified in the national GP survey in order to improve patient satisfaction around involvement in care panning and making decisions about their care and treatment.

Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP 

Chief Inspector of General Practice