Archived: Newport Medical Group

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We inspected this service on 25 March and 29 April as part of our new comprehensive inspection programme.

The overall rating for this service is good. We found the practice to be rated as good in providing, effective, caring, responsive and well-led services. However, we have found the practice to require improvement in respect of providing safe care. We found the practice provided good care to older people, people with long term conditions, families, children and young people, the working age population and those recently retired, people whose circumstances may make them vulnerable and people experiencing poor mental health.

Our key findings were as follows:

• Incidents were being reported and learning shared with staff. However, directives for nurses to administer medicines were not current

• Patient care was provided by staff who had received appropriate training. The practice worked with other health and care providers to deliver co-ordinated care.

• Evidence we reviewed demonstrated that patients were satisfied with how they were treated and that this was with compassion, dignity and respect.

• The practice had appropriate skill mix of staff team with expertise and experience in a range of health conditions.

• The practice was proactive in helping people with long term conditions to manage their health and had arrangements in place to make sure their health was monitored regularly.

• The practice had an open culture that was effective and encouraged staff to share their views through staff meetings and significant event meetings.

We saw there were areas of practice where the provider needs to make improvements.

Importantly, the provider must:

• Must ensure medicine directives are current and within guidance.

In addition the provider should:

• Ensure patients are made aware when appointments are booked with the advanced nurse practitioner and not a GP.
• Ensure a consistent approach is followed when staff carry out the role of a chaperone.
• Ensure systems are in place to monitor if cleaning is being done according to standards set by the practice.
• Ensure all audits are dated and action identified and followed up.
• Ensure action actions recognised following legionella risk assessment are being implemented.
• Ensure staff are enabled to fulfil their roles adequately
• Review the complaint policy and ensure appropriate mechanisms in place to action complaints when the lead is on leave.
• Ensure the whistle blowing policy is reviewed to include third party contact details.

Ensure the practice responds to any recommendations arising out of the referral to the local authority safeguarding team for circumcision practice.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice