Archived: Dr Surraiya Zia

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Dr Surraiya Zia on 25 May 2016. Overall the practice is rated as requires improvement.

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

• The practice was not carrying out pre-employment checked for all new employees, this included not obtaining Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks to ensure that employment was not offered to candidates who may be unsuitable for certain work.
• The practice had a legionella risk assessment which found that there was no legionella present, but had not acted on other recommendations in the report.
• The practice had not disposed of some out of date vaccines that remained in the vaccines fridge. Nor was it recording the temperature of the vaccines fridge.
• There was an open and transparent approach to safety and a system in place for reporting and recording significant events.
• Staff assessed patients’ needs and delivered care in line with current evidence based guidance. Staff had been trained to provide them with 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.
• Information about services and how to complain was available and easy to understand. Improvements were made to the quality of care as a result of complaints and concerns.
• The practice had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs.

The areas where the provider must make improvements are:

• Ensure recruitment arrangements include all necessary pre-employment checks for all staff as set out in schedule three of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014.

• Ensure that all staff receive a DBS check or suitable risk assessment of the need.

• Ensure that vaccines are stored and disposed of in line with Department of Health guidelines, and implement a system to monitor the temperature of the vaccines fridge.

• Ensure that it actions work identified in its Legionella risk assessment report.

• Ensure that it improves governance arrangements including systems for assessing and monitoring risks and the quality of the service provision.

In addition the provider should:

• Consider providing bookable advance appointments.

• Review and take action to address lower scoring areas of the GP patient survey results to increase patient satisfaction.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice