Somerset Family Health Practice

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Somerset Family Health Practice on 5 July 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.
• 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. Improvements were made to the quality of care as a result of complaints and concerns.
• Patients said they could get an appointment when they needed one with urgent appointments available the same day. However patients told us getting through by telephone was difficult and the practice had identified this as requiring further action. The practice scored below average on the national GP patient survey for access.
• 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 patients, which it acted on.

The areas where the provider should make improvement are:

• The practice should ensure that all staff members are clear about the duty of candour and their responsibilities. The practice should have a written policy and procedure for reference.
• The practice should carry out an annual audit of infection control in the practice to ensure that it is meeting current infection control guidelines.
• The practice should investigate areas where its performance was unusual, for example in some of its exception reporting.
• The practice should aim to increase the uptake for cancer screening programmes among eligible patients.
• The practice should continue to work to improve patient experience of booking an appointment and the ease of getting through to the practice by telephone.
• The principal GP should ensure that all staff have a structured annual appraisal and are given sufficient support to complete agreed personal development goals.

Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP

Chief Inspector of General Practice