Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice
We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Riverside Surgery in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire on 16 September 2016. Overall the practice is rated as good.
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.
- Staff understood and fulfilled their responsibilities to raise concerns and report incidents and near misses. All opportunities for learning from internal and external incidents were maximised.
- 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.
- Feedback from patients relating to the quality of care was in line with local and national averages. Written and verbal feedback collected during the inspection highlighted the new appointment system and new telephone system had significantly improved access.
- The practice worked closely with other organisations and with the local community in planning how services were provided to ensure that they meet patients’ needs. For example, community specific training to support the large proportion of practice patients who were Muslim.
- The practice had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs.
- The practice actively reviewed complaints and how they are managed and responded to, and made improvements as a result.
- The practice had a clear vision which had quality and safety as its top priority. The strategy to deliver this vision was regularly reviewed and discussed with staff.
- It was evident the practice had gone through a period of transition including a significant number of key staff changes and the adoption of a non-traditional staff model. Despite this we saw evidence of team working across all roles.
The areas where the provider should make improvement are:
- Continue to monitor access to appointments to ensure patients are able to contact the practice to make appointments without difficulty.
- Ensure an action plan for learning disability reviews with a view to increase the number of annual health checks is monitored through the practice meetings.
Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP
Chief Inspector of General Practice