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Archived: Worle Medical Practice

Overall: Requires improvement read more about inspection ratings

125 High Street, Worle, Weston Super Mare, Somerset, BS22 6HB (01934) 516789

Provided and run by:
Worle Medical Practice

All Inspections

7 January 2016

During a routine inspection

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Worle Medical Practice, Weston-Super-Mare on 7 January 2016. Overall the practice is rated as requires improvement and includes all population groups.

Our key findings across all the areas we inspected were as follows:

  • There was an open and transparent approach to safety and a system in place for reporting and recording significant events.

  • Risks to patients were assessed and managed however, risks associated with GP staffing levels were not robust and left staff such as the health care assistant unsupported or unsupervised at times. The staffing levels also impacted on the continuity of patient care and treatment.

  • 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.
  • Most 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.
  • Most patients said they found it easy to make an appointment. However, they stated appointments with a named GP and continuity of care was often more difficult due to high locum GP use. Urgent appointments were available the same day.
  • The practice had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs.
  • There was a leadership structure and staff felt supported by the practice management but less so by the provider organisation. The practice sought feedback from staff and patients, which it acted on.

We saw one area of outstanding practice:

  • The practice had previously developed a list of frail older patients who lived in vulnerable or isolated circumstances. Some members of staff were allocated a number of these patients and made regular telephone contact with the patients to ensure they were safe.

The areas where the provider must make improvement are:

  • Ensure GP staffing levels are maintained to ensure the nursing team and specifically the health care assistant, have access to clinical support throughout their patient appointments and to ensure clinical advice is available should a medical emergency arise during the practice opening hours.

  • Ensure practice governance arrangements consider all aspects of the practice as part of a continuous improvement process. For example, ensuring all staff receive provider identified mandatory training and an annual appraisal, and ensuring risks related to lone working are fully assessed.

The areas where the provider should make improvement are:

  • Review how continuity of GP access is provided to patients.

  • Review clinical support processes for permanently employed GPs.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

During a check to make sure that the improvements required had been made

At our inspection in November 2013 we found the practice did not maintain evidence of supporting staff through training. We saw there were organisational policies and procedures in place to guide staff and their practice. We found there was no effective system in place to audit the practice and ensure policies were understood and implemented by the staff team.

We asked the provider to give us evidence of the above being implemented in the practice. From this evidence we are satisfied the service is now compliant.

26 September and 2 October 2013

During a routine inspection

We visited the practice on 26 September and 2 October 2013. We spent time with the acting practice manager who had been in post for two weeks; the lead practice nurse, two GPs, reception staff and patients. We also met with the secretary of the patient participation group.

The patients we met spoke positively about the treatment and support they had received. We were told "now, I can always see the same doctor, this is important to me as I have some serious health problems and I don't want to have to keep repeating myself all of the time.”

Patients said their health problems and treatment options were fully explained. We were told “I feel that the doctor takes time to listen and answer my questions.” Another patient said and "I find the doctors, practice nurses and reception staff all to be very helpful.”

We talked with patients about their confidence in the skills and knowledge of the staff team. People told us that the staff they had met appeared knowledgeable. We found that the practice did not maintain evidence of supporting staff through training.

We found that staff were clear about what action they would take if they saw or suspected any abuse.

We saw that there were organisational policies and procedures in place to guide staff and their practice. We found that there was no effective system in place to audit the practice and ensure policies were understood and implemented by the staff team.