Archived: Dr Gordon Thomas

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Dr Gordon Thomas on 7 December 2015. Overall the practice is rated as good, with outstanding care in caring services and services for older people.

Our key findings were as follows:

• Feedback from patients about their care was consistently and strongly positive.

• The practice had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs. Information about how to complain was available and easy to understand.
• Staff were knowledgeable, engaged and took pride in the services provided.
• Patients said they found it easy to make an appointment with a named GP and that 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.
• 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

We saw areas of outstanding practice including:

• The practice had provided holistic care reviews to over 300 patients aged 75 and over. The reviews took place in the patients’ homes and assessed the emergence of health conditions which are more common in this age group including frailty, dementia, mobility and increased social care needs. Following the assessment patients’ care was reviewed or they were referred to practice, specialist and community services. The safety of patients was also assessed and patients were assisted to obtain emergency alarm systems to alert someone if they fell or became unwell and were unable to get to the telephone.

• The practice was used as a community hub to promote engagement within the locality and beyond. Staff and patients took part in arts and community events, and volunteers provided a weekly book club service from the practice following the closure of the local library.

• The lead GP had provided primary care services to a local children’s hospice since its conception over 10 years ago. A senior member of the hospice team told us that the GP and practice had been very supportive to both the children and staff at the hospice. They also said that the families of the children were universally positive and appreciative of the involvement of the lead GP and practice and described them as most caring. As the hospice is a charity, the lead GP and staff had removed any barriers to children with life limiting conditions receiving primary care, and their services had been made available 24 hours a day 365 days a year.

There were also areas of practice where the provider should make improvements.

• Implement a consistent system for checking that monitoring for patients, who take long term medicines on a shared care basis, has been provided before the medicines are issued.

• Expand the practice held emergency medicines to include suitable medicines for patients who experience prolonged seizures and unresponsiveness due to hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar),

• Implement and manage a consistent system for reviewing the care of patients who experience short and long term poor mental health.

• Undertake a documented risk assessment for Legionella and act on any findings.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice