Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Warley Road Surgery on 3 June 2016. Overall the practice is rated as Good.

Please note that when referring to information throughout this report, for example any reference to the Quality and Outcomes Framework data, this relates to the most recent information available to the Care Quality Commission (CQC) at that time.

Our key findings were as follows:

• Staff understood and fulfilled their responsibilities to raise concerns. Information about safety was recorded, monitored, reviewed and addressed.
• Most risks to patients and staff were assessed and well managed.
• Patients’ needs were assessed and care was planned and delivered following best practice guidance.
• Patients said they were treated with 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 told us they found difficulties getting pre-booked appointments and the appointment system was under review. 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, patients and third party organisations, which it acted on.

We saw a number of areas where the practice should make improvements.

The practice should:

• Review the system for managing alerts received to include confirmation that appropriate actions have been taken.
• Ensure all emergency equipment is regularly checked.
• Consider how attendance of bowel cancer screening could be promoted to patients to improve the uptake.
• Continue to monitor the avoidable admissions and target a reduction to bring the practice into line with local and national averages.
• Review the patient survey results for aspects of care and consider how improvements could be made.
• Explore ways to prevent confidentiality being compromised by conversations being overheard.

We saw one outstanding features:

• The practice had taken steps to address the large number of patients on the list with reading and writing difficulties, for example, the clinicians checked and identified patient’s literacy and the receptionists supported patients with the completion of forms.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice