Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Woodbrook Medical Centre on 14 December 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 a system was in place for reporting and recording significant events.
• The practice had effective systems in place to safeguard children and vulnerable adults.
• Risks to patients were assessed and generally well managed.
• Staff assessed patients’ needs and delivered care in line with current evidence based guidance.
• Regular clinical audits were undertaken within the practice to drive improvement.
• The practice worked effectively with the wider multi-disciplinary team to plan and deliver integrated care for patients with complex needs.
• Feedback from most patients was that they were treated with kindness, dignity and respect and were involved in decisions about their care.
• Most patients 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 continued to review access and sought to improve the level of service they offered to patients in response to patient feedback.
• The practice had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs.
• Information about services and how to complain was available. Improvements were made to the quality of care as a result of complaints and concerns.
• The practice had a clear vision which had quality and safety as its top priority. The strategy to deliver this vision was regularly reviewed and discussed with staff.
• There was a clear leadership structure and staff felt supported by management.
• The practice reviewed and made changes to the way it delivered services as a consequence of feedback from patients and the patient participation group.

• The practice team was forward thinking and took part in local pilot schemes to improve outcomes for patients. This included setting up the musculoskeletal referral support service (MSK triage) in the local area and development of Cancer Maps, as an interactive reference tool for cancer guidelines.

The areas where the provider should improve:

• The practice should continue to ensure that action plans and improvements made from infection control audits are monitored and recorded.

• The practice should ensure plans in place for all staff to complete training at the recommended frequency determined by the provider are monitored.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice