Archived: Dr Qamar Siddiqi Also known as Cambridge House Surgery

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Dr Qamar Siddiqi on 18 September 2015. Overall the practice is rated as good.

Please note that when referring to information throughout this report, for example any reference to the Quality and Outcomes Framework data, this relates to the most recent information available to the CQC at that time.

Our key findings were as follows:

• Staff knew how to and understood the need to raise concerns and report incidents and near misses. Information about safety was recorded, monitored, appropriately reviewed and acted upon.
• Risks to patients were assessed and well managed.
• The practice worked closely with other organisations and with the local community in planning how services were provided to ensure that they meet people’s needs.
• The practice implemented suggestions for improvements and made changes to the way it delivered services as a consequence of feedback from patients and from the Patient Participation Group (PPG).
• Best practice guidance was used to assess patients’ needs and plan and deliver their care.
• Patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and they were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment.
• Patient information, including how to complain was available and easy to understand.
• Patients told us they could get an appointment when they needed one, often on the same day.
• Although the building was owned by a landlord, the GP had invested in modernising patient areas and fitted appropriate aids and adaptations to support patients with reduced mobility and /or patients with pushchairs.
• There was a clear leadership structure and staff felt supported by management.

We saw several areas of outstanding practice including:

• The GP had systems in place to access test results and correspondence remotely when on leave. They did this to provide continuity of care when locum cover was being used. We saw a letter from the Royal College of General Practitioners about a patient who had written to them praising the GP as they had chased up results whilst on leave to avoid any delay in treatment.

• The GP organised and participated in a monthly walking club with patients. Any patient plus family members were welcome to attend for a brisk 30 minute walk around a local park. Numbers had steadily increased to around 20 people (some of whom are not registered at the practice). The practice used social media to advertise the date of the walk, and receive feedback from patients.

• A pre-Christmas lunch was organised for all patients but especially for those who were vulnerable or would be alone at Christmas. The practice told us numbers had increased year on year and approximately 20 patients attended last year.

• The GP had been involved in developing a pilot project called ‘Active Families Programme’. This was a 10 week programme to educate the family as a whole about good eating habits and exercise. The project was due to be introduced in all practices within Stoke on Trent.

However, there were also areas of practice where the provider needs to make improvements.

The provider should:

• Carry out routine checks on the water system to reduce the risk of legionella.
• Ensure that records demonstrate that the defibrillator and oxygen have been checked.
• Ensure the full employment histories are obtained when recruiting staff.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice