Archived: Chestnuts Park Medical Practice

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Chestnuts Park Medical Practice on the 28 January 2015. Overall the practice is rated as good.

Specifically, we found the practice to be good for providing safe, effective, caring, responsive and well led service.

It was also good for providing services to the six population groups - older people, people with long-term conditions, families, children and young people, working age people (including those recently retired and students), people living in vulnerable circumstances and people experiencing poor mental health (including people with dementia).

The practice has been run by the Hurley Clinic Partnership. Hurley took over the service in 2013. Prior to that, following action by service commissioners over concerns with performance and patients outcomes, three other providers had operated the service in the preceding three years. A number of the non-clinical staff at the practice had worked for the previous providers, later being transferred to the succeeding providers and eventually to Hurley. Hurley had recognised that staff morale was low as a consequence and had carried out various successful teambuilding exercises. Patients told us that the service had improved since Hurley took over the service and the practice was continuing to work with commissioners to further develop and improve performance.

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

• Staff understood and fulfilled their responsibilities to raise concerns, and to report incidents and near misses. Information about safety was recorded, monitored, appropriately reviewed and addressed.

• Patients’ needs were assessed and care was planned and delivered following best practice guidance.

• 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.

• There was a clear leadership structure, vision and strategy.

• The practice proactively sought feedback from staff and patients, which it acted on.

However there were areas of practice where the provider needs to make improvements.

The practice should

• Put into place an effective system to ensure that an accurate record is maintained regarding the use of medicine fridges and temperature monitoring.
• Review and update the infection control policy, identifying the lead staff member responsible. 

• Introduce a system for carrying out regular clinical audit cycles to monitor performance and identify where improvements may be made to the service and patient outcomes.

• Consider opportunities for employing more male GPs to improve outcomes for male patients, who may be unwilling to see female doctors.

Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP 

Chief Inspector of General Practice