Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at West View Surgery on 15 September 2016. Overall the practice is 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 well managed.
• 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.
• We saw evidence that audits were driving improvements to patient outcomes.
• Patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and they were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment.
• Collaborative working with the midwife and health visitor for travellers and boat people, had improved integrated working and had built trust and rapport between the families and health services.
• 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.
• The practice had developed and utilised information in pictorial formats to assist patients with low literacy levels and learning disabilities to be more involved in their own care.
• 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.
• Allied health professionals were mentored within the practice, for example, a physiotherapist undertaking prescribing qualifications and paramedics. Plans to train nursing students and apprentices from the local further education college had been approved.
• 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.

We saw areas of outstanding of outstanding practice:

• The practice had double the prevalence expected, of patients with learning disabilities. . The service that the practice delivered these patients, had recently been redesigned to improve the quality of care provided and to ensure it offered flexibility and continuity of care that met the needs of each individual patient. Patients attended their annual review with their key worker and were seen, for 50 minutes, by the learning disabilities nurse and GP. This had ensured patients received a comprehensive holistic annual review. In the year 2015-2016 all patients with learning disabilities had received a full health check.
• There was a proactive approach to understanding the needs of different groups of people and ensuring care was delivered in a way that met those needs and promoted equality. The practice provided medical services to patients living within the traveller community. Collaborative working with the midwife and health visitor for travellers and boat people had improved integrated working and had built trust and rapport with the families and improved their engagement with health services.

Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGPChief Inspector of General Practice

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

We visited the provider’s main location West View Surgery. We reviewed records and systems and looked at the environment and how this impacted on the service delivery.We spoke with eight patients. We spoke with staff including; the practice manager, the lead practice nurse, a health care assistant, receptionists and two GP''s who were the designated lead for safeguarding at the practice.

Patients were satisfied with the care and treatment they received and told us they were treated with respect. One patient told us “I am extremely satisfied with the service I receive. I have the utmost praise for the staff”. Another patient told us “unfortunately when I come here I am not at my best, however, staff are patient, kind and take time to listen to my concerns. I leave the surgery knowing that I have been given appropriate advice”. Another patient told us “The service is first class, second to none”.

The appointment system in the practice worked well for patients. Patient’s care needs had been assessed; they had time to discuss their health care issues, and had been fully involved in making decisions about their care and treatment.

All staff had completed training in safeguarding of vulnerable adults and the protection of children. They were able to describe the possible signs that abuse was occurring.

The provider had systems in place to monitor the effectiveness and quality of the services being provided and had received positive feedback from patients.