Scorton Medical Centre

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Scorton Medical Centre on 14 September 2015.

Overall the practice is rated as requires improvement. Specifically, we found the practice to require improvement for providing safe and well led services. The practice was good for providing a caring, effective and responsive service.

Our key findings across all the areas we inspected were as follows:

• There were some systems in place to reduce risks to patient safety. However, we identified areas where improvement was required.
• Staff understood their responsibilities to raise concerns, and to report incidents and near misses.
• Patients said they found it easy to make an appointment and that there was continuity of care. Urgent and routine appointments were available the same day.
• The practice had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs.
• Information about services and how to complain was available. The practice sought patient views about improvements that could be made to the service. The practice was in the initial stages of setting up a patient participation group (PPG).
• Patients’ needs were assessed and care was planned and delivered following best practice guidance. Staff had mostly received training appropriate to their roles.
• There had been two; two cycle clinical audits completed in the last two years, both of these were completed audits where the improvements made were implemented and monitored.
• It was evident the practice was in a transition period following recent partnership changes. We saw some evidence, particularly in relation to culture that some changes had been made in respect of shared learning and support arrangements. However, the arrangements for governance and performance management did not always operate effectively.
• The vision, values and strategy were not well developed and consequently not monitored or regularly reviewed. Whilst all staff were clear they wanted to deliver a good service to their patients they were not clear about the practices strategy. GP partners demonstrated they were aware of current and future challenges.
• Not all staff told us they felt supported and able to raise concerns.
• There was some evidence of innovative practice demonstrated.

However, there were also areas of practice where the provider needs to make improvements.

Importantly, the provider must:

• Ensure all staff acting as a chaperone understand their role and have had a DBS check carried out or a risk assessment in place as to why a DBS check was not required.
• Ensure systems of good governance are in place. The practice must ensure the systems are in place to assess, monitor and mitigate the risks relating to the health, safety and welfare of staff,

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice