8 December 2015
During a routine inspection
Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice
We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Mallard Medical Practice on 8 December 2015. Overall the practice is rated as good.
Our key findings across all the areas we inspected were as follows:
- Patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and they were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment.
- 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.
- There was an open and transparent approach to safety and a 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.
- Information about services and how to complain was available and easy to understand.
- The practice had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs.
- There was a clear leadership structure and staff told us they felt supported by management. The practice proactively sought feedback from staff and patients, which it acted on.
We saw an area of outstanding practice:
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A number of patients and staff gave us examples of high quality care at the practice. Examples included GPs seeking out treatment options for cancer patients which, while not available at the nearest hospital, would result in the best outcomes for patients both medically and emotionally. We were also told of GPs visiting palliative care patients in their homes late in the evening and at weekends when the surgery was closed. The doctors visited to ensure the patients had medication to make them comfortable and also to provide emotional support for the patient and their family members.
However there was an area of practice where the provider should make improvements:
- Ensure meetings to discuss significant events are minuted.
Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP)
Chief Inspector of General Practice