Archived: Park Lodge Medical Centre

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Park Lodge Medical Centre on 31 March 2016. Overall the practice is rated as requires improvement.

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 to report incidents and near misses. Patients always received a verbal and written apology.
• Patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect.

• Information about services and how to complain was available and easy to understand.

• Urgent appointments were available on the day they were requested.
• The practice had proactively sought feedback from patients and had an active patient participation group.
• Risks to patients were not all well managed, in particular, the practice was deficient in regard to: recruitment checks; chaperone training; disclosure and barring service checks; safeguarding training; infection control training; failing to act on recommendations in its fire risk assessment; basic life support training for all staff; failing to act on recommendations in its legionella report; and it did not have a defibrillator on the premises or a suitable risk assessment of the need for one.
• Data showed patient outcomes were low compared to the locality and nationally. However, audits had been carried out, and we saw evidence that audits were driving improvement in performance to improve patient outcomes.

The areas where the provider must make improvements are:

• Ensure that recruitment arrangements include all necessary employment checks for all staff, and that staff follow a suitable induction programme following appointment, and thereafter receive appropriate professional development, supervision, and appraisals, as necessary to enable them to carry out their duties.

• Ensure that staff receive appropriate training and updates, including: chaperone training for all non-clinical staff who act as chaperones; safeguarding of vulnerable children and adults; basic life support training; and infection control.

• Ensure that all staff undergo Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks or have a suitable risk assessment in place.

• Ensure that it addresses concerns identified in regard to: infection prevention and control including legionella assessments; and fire risk assessment including holding fire drills
• Ensure that there is a defibrillator available on the premises in the event of a medical emergency, or carry out a suitable risk assessment.

In addition the provider should:

• Review its QOF achievement (Quality and Outcomes Framework) (QOF rewards practices for the provision of 'quality care' and helps to fund further improvements in the delivery of clinical care) to identify ways to improve patient treatment.

• Review provision for non-urgent appointments to meet patient demand.

• Review how it identifies and records patients with caring responsibilities.

Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP

Chief Inspector of General Practice