Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Woodside Medical Centre on 11 January 2017. 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.
• 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.
• The practice used innovative and proactive methods to improve patient outcomes. For example, the GPs shared an online tool that was regularly updated when new evidence or local guidance was published. GPs reviewed information and commented and shared any learning points. Where relevant this information contributed to the practice’s agendas for team meetings.
• Patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and they were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment.
• Practice staff reviewed the needs of its local population to secure improvements to services where these were identified.
• 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 implemented suggestions for improvements and made changes to the way it delivered services as a consequence of feedback from patients and from the patient participation group. They had changed appointment availability by adjusting GP sessions on different days of the week to focus clinical activity appropriately and as a result, they found that the demand for routine appointments had significantly reduced.
• Patients said they found it easy to make an appointment with a 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.
• The practice had strong and visible clinical and managerial leadership and governance arrangements.
• 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.

The areas where the provider should make improvement are:

• Recruitment checks to include pre-employment health declarations and staff immunisation status.

• The practice to complete regular fire drills and to document attendees.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice