Queens Park Surgery

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Queens Park Surgery on 10 April 2017. The overall rating for the practice was good. Safe, effective, responsive and well-led were rated as good and caring was rated requires improvement. The full comprehensive report on the April 2017 inspection can be found by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Queens Park Surgery on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

This inspection was a focused desk-based inspection carried out on 11 October 2017 to confirm that the practice had carried out their plan to meet the legal requirements in relation to the breaches in regulations that we identified in our previous inspection on 10 April 2017. This report covers our findings in relation to those requirements and also additional improvements identified since our last inspection.

Overall, the practice remains rated as good and caring is now rated as good.

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

• The practice had allocated resources and called relevant patients to attend for their annual learning disabilities check.
• Syringes to administer paediatric (child) doses were now available in the anaphylactic kit.
• The practice had identified 35 patients as carers. This amounted to 0.7% of the practice list.
• Staff had received information about what to do in the event that fridge temperatures exceeded minimum and maximum limits and as to the location of the oxygen.
• Feedback in relation to consultations with the nurse was now in line with CCG and national averages.

The practice should:

• Continue to identify and support patients who are carers.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Queens Park Surgery on 10 April 2017. 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 a system in place for reporting and recording significant events.
• The practice had clearly defined and embedded systems to minimise risks to patient safety.
• Staff were aware of current evidence based guidance. Staff had been trained to provide them with the skills and knowledge to deliver effective care and treatment.
• Results from the national GP patient survey showed patients were satisfied with the availability and accessibility of appointments, although responses relating to the nurse were below average.
• All staff received annual basic life support training and there were emergency medicines available. However, one member of the clinical team was unsure where the oxygen was stored or what to do in the event that fridge temperatures exceeded minimum and maximum limits.
• The syringes in the anaphylactic kit were not suitable for administering paediatric doses, although there were appropriately sized syringes situated elsewhere in the practice.
• The practice had identified 23 patients as carers, which amounted to 0.4% of the practice list.
• The practice had 10 patients on the learning disability register. The practice had not completed any health checks for patients with learning disabilities in the last year.
• Information about services and how to complain was available. Improvements were made to the quality of care as a result of complaints and concerns.
• Patients we spoke with said they found it easy to make an appointment with a GP and there was continuity of care, with urgent appointments available the same day.
• 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 staff and patients, which it acted on.
• The provider was aware of the requirements of the duty of candour. Examples we reviewed showed the practice complied with these requirements.

The areas where the provider must make improvement are:

• Ensure patients with learning disabilities are invited to an annual health check.
• Acquire appropriate syringes in the anaphylactic kit to administer paediatric (child) doses.

The areas where the provider should make improvement are:

• Improve systems to identify and support carers.
• Update staff so that they know where the oxygen is stored and what to do in the event that fridge temperatures exceed minimum and maximum limits.
• Continue to take steps to improve feedback in the GP survey relating to patient involvement with the nurse.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice