Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Ward End Medical Practice on 15 July 2016. The practice had previously been inspected in July 2015 and was found to be in breach of regulations 12 (safe care and treatment), 17 (good governance) and 19 (fit and proper persons employed) of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. The practice was rated as requires improvement for providing services that were safe and well led and was rated requires improvement overall.

Following the inspection the practice sent us an action plan detailing the action they were going to take to improve. We returned to the practice to consider whether improvements had been made in response to the breaches in regulations. We found the practice had made sufficient improvements and is now 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 generally well managed. We saw improvements in relation to infection prevention and control, recruitment checks and medical emergencies.
• 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.
• Patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect. However, feedback from patients found that not all felt involved in their care and decisions about their treatment.
• Information about services and how to complain was available and easy to understand and supported leaning.
• Patients said they usually found it easy to make an appointment but some patients found getting through on the phone difficult. Patients were able to obtain urgent appointments on 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 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:

• Ensure COSHH risk assessments include safety information for products used in the practice.
• Review and implement ways in which the identification of carers might be improved so that this group of patients can receive support.
• Review systems of obtaining and responding to patient feedback. Identify how this may be improved and utilised to support service improvement including, verbal complaints, comments made through NHS Choices, national patient survey and the patient participation group.
• Ensure the practice nurse has formal opportunities for clinical engagement.

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 Ward End Medical Centre on 31 July 2015. Overall the practice is rated as requires improvement.

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.
• Processes were in place for managing risks were not always robust, we highlighted risks associated with infection control, recruitment and in the management of medical emergencies.
• 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. Positive feedback was received in relation to the care of vulnerable patients.
• Information about services and how to complain was available and easy to understand.
• Patients said they found it easy to make an appointment although this might not always be with their GP of choice. Urgent appointments were 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.

However there were areas of practice where the provider needs to make improvements.

The areas where the provider must make improvements are:

• Ensure robust arrangements are in place for identifying, assessing and managing risks to patients including those relating to recruitment, the management of medical emergencies and fire safety records.
• Ensure risks associated with infection prevention and control are appropriately managed to minimise the risk of cross infection.

In addition the provider should:

• Display complaints policy and ensure complaints relating to all staff are consistently managed.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

We reviewed the information available to us about Ward End Medical Centre on 5 June 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.