5 May 2016
During a routine inspection
Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice
We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Barley Surgery on 5 May 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, and we saw evidence that learning was applied from events to enhance patient care and safety.
- Staff assessed patients’ needs and delivered care in line with current evidence based guidance. Staff had the skills, knowledge and experience to deliver effective care and treatment, and clinicians had lead areas of responsibility.
- Patients expressed high levels of satisfaction with the practice, citing caring and attentive staff, ease of access and being involved in decisions. Figures from the national GP survey stated that 90% of patients would recommend the surgery to someone new in the area. Feedback from patients we spoke with and also on comments cards was overwhelmingly positive. Patients described practice staff who ‘went the extra mile’ to ensure that individuals’ needs were met..
- Most patients said they found it easy to make an appointment with a GP, and usually this was with a GP of their choice. Routine appointments could usually be booked up to three months in advance and demand for appointments was actively monitored so that additional consultations could be made available in periods of high demand. Urgent appointments were available the same day.
- The practice used clinical audits to review patient care and took action to improve services as a result.
- The practice had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs.
- The practice worked effectively with the wider multi-disciplinary team to plan and deliver high quality and responsive care to keep vulnerable patients safe.
- The practice had an active Patient Participation Group (PPG) and worked with them to review and improve services for patients.
- The practice made changes to the way it delivered services as a consequence of feedback from patients.
- Information about services and how to complain was available and easy to understand.
- There was a clear leadership structure and staff felt supported by management. The partners and practice manager worked collaboratively with other local GP practices and made an active contribution to Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) work streams.
There were areas where the practice should improve:
- The practice should register to directly receive patient safety updates from the Medicines Health and Regulatory Authority (MHRA).
- The practice should provide refresher training to staff who chaperone to ensure that they are able to protect both patients and clinicians by following most recent best practice.
- The practice should consider placing chaperone notices in consultation and examination rooms.
- The practice should provide spillage kits to ensure that staff are fully protected from the risk of infection.