Ferryview Health Centre GP Surgery

On this page

• Overview
• Learning culture
• Safe systems, pathways and transitions
• Safeguarding
• Involving people to manage risks
• Safe environments
• Safe and effective staffing
• Infection prevention and control
• Medicines optimisation

We looked for evidence that people were protected from abuse and avoidable harm.

At our last assessment, we rated this key question as requires improvement as at that time we found that medicines management was unsafe and the provider was in breach of regulation 12 (safe care and treatment) of the Health and Social Care Act 2008. At this assessment, the rating has changed to good, and there were no breaches of regulation.

This service scored 75 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

We did not look at Learning culture during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Safe.

We did not look at Safe systems, pathways and transitions during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Safe.

We did not look at Safeguarding during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Safe.

We did not look at Involving people to manage risks during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Safe.

We did not look at Safe environments during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Safe.

We did not look at Safe and effective staffing during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Safe.

We did not look at Infection prevention and control during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Safe.

The service made sure that medicines and treatments were safe and met patients needs, capacities and preferences. They involved patients in planning, including when changes happened.

Staff involved patients in reviews of their medicines and helped them understand how to manage their medicines safely. Patients knew what to do and who to contact if their condition did not improve or they experienced any unexpected symptoms. Staff received regular training, were competency assessed on medicines optimisation, and felt confident managing the storage, administration and recording of medicines. Staff managed prescription stationery appropriately and securely.

Staff followed protocols to ensure they prescribed all medicines safely, and ensured people received all recommended medicines reviews and monitoring. Medicines were stored securely and at appropriate temperatures. Staff regularly checked the stock levels and expiry dates for all medicines.

Staff stored medical gases, such as oxygen, safely and completed required safety risk assessments. The provider had effective systems to manage and respond to safety alerts and medicine recalls. Staff followed established processes to ensure people prescribed medicines with specific risks received recommended monitoring.

Staff took steps to ensure they prescribed medicines appropriately to optimise care outcomes, including antibiotics. Prescribing data reviewed as part of our assessment confirmed this.

We carried out searches on the practice’s clinical records as part of our assessment. In the large majority of cases, requisite monitoring of medicines had been completed within timescales set by national guidance. Where this had not occurred, patients had been regularly contacted to attend the practice, and where required, medicines were provided in lower quantities until monitoring was completed. For example, we saw that all 39 patients who had been prescribed methotrexate (an immunosuppressant used to reduce swelling) were up to date with monitoring required to ensure that they were not subject to side effects. A further example was that we identified 2182 patients who were prescribed an angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) or angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) medicine, of which only 24 patients had not received the required monitoring. We reviewed 5 of these 24 records, and in each case the practice had actively followed up with the patient.