24 June 2015
During a routine inspection
Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice
We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at the Balaji Surgery on 24 June 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 services. It was also good for providing services for older people; people with long-term conditions; families, children and young people; working age people; people whose circumstances may make them vulnerable and people experiencing poor mental health.
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.
- Risks to patients were assessed and well managed, including those relating to recruitment checks.
- Patients’ needs were assessed and care was planned and delivered following best practice guidance. Staff had received training appropriate to their roles and any further training needs had been identified and planned.
- Information about services and how to complain was available and easy to understand.
- Most patients we spoke with and from patient feedback in CQC comment cards and patient satisfaction survey information told us that patients felt they were able to make an appointment with a named GP, there was continuity of care and urgent appointments available the same day. They also told us that they felt they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment. This did not fully align with the national GP patient satisfaction survey (January 2015) which indicated that some patients had experienced difficulty making appointments and did not always feel involved in decisions about their care.
- The practice was above average for most areas of the quality outcomes framework (QOF) for 2014, however they were below average in relation to some diabetes indicators and cervical screening. We saw that the practice had taken steps to address this.
- 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.
There were areas of practice where the provider needs to make improvements.
Importantly the provider should:
- Provide more detailed information for carers to ensure that all avenues of support are open to them.
Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP)
Chief Inspector of General Practice