Archived: Dr Mushkoor Sheikh Also known as Dr Sheikh's Surgery

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Dr Mushkoor Sheikh  on 19 January 2016. Overall the practice is rated as outstanding.

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

• There was an open and transparent approach to safety and an effective system in place for reporting and recording significant events.
• Risks to patients were assessed and well managed.
• 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.
• Patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and they were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment.  They thought staff were approachable, very committed and exceptionally caring. They described the practice as a ‘first class’ GP surgery.
• Staff were motivated and inspired to offer kind compassionate care. We found positive examples of staff going that extra mile to provide a caring service. For example, staff would contact patient's to check everything was alright if they did not see them pass the surgery or exercise their pets as part of their normal daily routine.
• Information about services and how to complain was available and easy to understand.
• 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.
• 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 and complied with the requirements of the Duty of Candour.

We saw three areas area of outstanding practice:

• The practice had developed self certification notes which contained self care advice and information for minor illnesses. It detailed the expected duration of symptoms, how best to treat them and what to look for if the symptoms worsened. Information was provided about where to get help if the symptoms worsened. It contained information for the patient which told them most minor illnesses get better without antibiotics and the side effects antibiotics, if used, can cause.
• Following review of all test results the GP would document the advice to be given to the patient, what to look out for and time frame for follow up tests in the patient record. This was then shared with patient’s by reception staff. Patients’ reported this was a very informative service and negated the need to make further appointments with the GP.
• The practice championed and participated in the social prescribing project in Doncaster. The GPs and practice nurses had the option to prescribe non-medical support to patients. This included for loneliness and social isolation , housing or advice on debt. Dr Sheikh’s practice was the first practice in Doncaster to refer patients to the scheme and had referred 140 patients’ since August 2014. Those patients’ had in turn been referred to 332 outward support organisations and had achieved many self reported positive outcomes

Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP 

Chief Inspector of General Practice