Archived: Grange Hill Surgery

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Grange Hill Surgery on 11 January 2017. Overall the practice is rated as good.

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

• Staff understood and fulfilled their responsibilities to raise concerns, and to report incidents and near misses. Significant events were investigated, acted on when necessary. All opportunities for learning from internal and external incidents were maximised to support improvement.

• Risks to patients were assessed and well managed. There were safe systems for prescribing medicines. Clinical staff processes ensured that patients received safe and appropriate care and this was clearly documented.

• Staffing levels were monitored to ensure they matched patients’ needs. Appropriate recruitment checks were carried out.

• Practice staff were using proactive methods to improve patient outcomes and staff linked with other local providers to share best practice. For example, clinical staff had identified patients who had complex diabetes needs and a consultant saw those patients at the practice.

• Patients told us they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and they were involved in decisions about their care and treatment. Accessible information was provided to help patients understand the care available to them.

• Senior staff had developed partnership with a specialist organisation to provide access to videos regarding healthy living and management of long term conditions. All videos were available online to patients in their homes. Patients were given leaflets about this and by the date of our inspection 62 patients had taken up this service. Practice leads had developed two videos which were being converted to digital format to assist patient access via the website. Additional videos were played constantly in the waiting area including dementia, looking after a child with fever and NHS health checks.

• Data from the National GP Patient Survey published July 2016 showed that patient satisfaction in respect of access to the service and the standard of care were rated above the local and national averages. Patients said they found it easy to make appointments and there was continuity of care, with urgent appointments available the same day.

• Information about how to make a complaint was readily available and easy to understand. Complaints were dealt with in a timely and appropriate way.

• The practice had a clear vision which had quality and safety as its top priority. High standards were promoted and owned by all practice staff with evidence of team working. There was a business plan that was monitored and regularly reviewed. Management sought feedback from patients, which it acted on.

• The delivery of high quality care was assured by the leadership, governance and culture and culture within the practice. Clinical staff were consistent and proactive through a targeted approach towards health promotion, care and treatment of its population groups.

We saw an area of outstanding practice:

• All locum and regular session GP holders were provided with a purpose designed template to record difficult and challenging patient consultations, referrals, path lab reports and areas of concern including safeguarding issues. A debrief meeting was held by the lead GP at the end of their session to review all patients seen during the session and discuss management of complex and challenging cases. Following absence of the lead GP all templates generated were reviewed and any identified actions were carried out.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice