Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

This practice is rated as Good overall. (Previous inspection August 2015 – Good)

The key questions are rated as:

Are services safe? – Good

Are services effective? – Good

Are services caring? – Good

Are services responsive? – Good

Are services well-led? - Good

As part of our inspection process, we also look at the quality of care for specific population groups. The population groups are rated as:

Older People – Good

People with long-term conditions – Good

Families, children and young people – Good

Working age people (including those recently retired and students – Good

People whose circumstances may make them vulnerable – Good

People experiencing poor mental health (including people with dementia) - Good

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at West Moors Group Practice on 9 January 2017 as part of our inspection programme.

At this inspection we found:

• The practice routinely reviewed the effectiveness and appropriateness of the care it provided. It ensured that care and treatment was delivered according to evidence based guidelines.

• Staff involved and treated patients with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.

• Patients found the appointment system easy to use and reported that they were able to access care when they needed it.

• There was a strong focus on continuous learning and improvement at all levels of the organisation.

• The practice made reasonable adjustments when patients found it hard to access services. For example, the nurses offered home visits for frail patients, who were unable to attend appointments at the practice, to administer the flu vaccine.

• The practice used a text message system to engage patients with services that helped them to live healthier lives.

• There was a dedicated frailty lead at the practice, in post since September 2016. During this time, the practice has seen a 5% reduction in unplanned hospital admissions of patients aged over 65 year.

• The practice proactively identified and supported patients who were carers. For example, the practice had a dedicated carers lead and provided a carers group.

The areas where the provider should make improvements are:

• Review systems and risk assess the responsibilities and activities of staff to determine if they are eligible for a Disclosure and Barring Service check in line with current guidance.

• Review systems for all medicine near misses in the dispensary including how recorded and acted upon.

• Review governance procedures to maintain safety, for example by maintaining a system for receiving and acting on safety alerts.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

West Moors Group Practice operates from two locations,Three Legged Cross and West Moors,Ferndown.We inspected the practice at West Moors, 175 Station Road,

West Moors,

Ferndown,

BH22 0HX. This practice is registered to provide the following regulated activities to approximately 5300 patients: Diagnostic and screening procedures, Family planning, Maternity and midwifery services, Surgical procedures and Treatment of disease, disorder or injury.

We spoke with the registered manager, the practice manager, practice nurses, staff, patients and their relatives.

Patients we spoke withtold us they could get an appointment when needed, the staff were helpful and they were offered appropriate health checks.

We found the practice provided a service that met patients needs. There were arrangements in place to ensure patients could either see or speak to aGP when needed. The practice operated an effective dutyGP service which improved the quality of treatment patients received.

Patients were seen in a clean and safe environment, but we found that parts of the premises, including the toilet,were difficult to access for wheelchair users.

We found the staff worked very well as a team and supported each other.

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at West Moors Group Practice on 19 August 2015.

Overall the practice is rated as good.

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.
• Patients’ needs were assessed and care was planned and delivered following best practice guidance. Staff had received training appropriate to their roles.
• Risks to patients were assessed and well managed.
• 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.
• 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, which it acted on.

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

• Ensure calibration of medical equipment in all GP’s bags and include these in the schedule of medical equipment calibration

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice