Abbey-Dale Medical Centre

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Abbey-Dale Medical Centre on 17 February 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.
• Risks to patients were assessed and well managed.
• 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 about their care was consistently and strongly positive.

• Patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and they were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment.

• Information about services and how to complain was available and easy to understand.
• Patients said they found it easy to make an appointment with a named GP and that there was continuity of care, with urgent appointments available the same day.
• The practice had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs.
• There was a clear leadership structure and staff felt supported by management. The practice proactively sought feedback from staff and patients, which it acted on.
• The provider was aware of and complied with the requirements of the Duty of Candour.

We saw several areas of outstanding practice:

• The practice, together with the health visitor, carried out health checks for babies aged between seven and nine months even though this was no longer funded for the child health screening programme. This ensured continuity of care and improved the uptake of child vaccinations and immunisations.

• The practice was the preferred provider of care for transgender patients with the local lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender forum. The practice was commended by the forum for its care and sensitivity and provided care for transgender patients. NHS England supported the practice to provide services for one transgender patient who was outside the practice catchment area.

• The practice ran monthly memory clinics and patients were able to self-refer to these clinics as required.

The areas where the provider should make improvement are:

• Carry out regular audit to inform quality of care and review actions taken as a result of significant event analysis to assess their effectiveness.

• Ensure that potential staff chaperones have a DBS check or risk assessment in place before they act as a chaperone (DBS checks identify whether a person has a criminal record or is on an official list of people barred from working in roles where they may have contact with children or adults who may be vulnerable).

• Ensure additional training and guidance is sought for GPs in relation to Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards.
• Update the Patient Specific Directions to ensure the administration of vaccinations is patient specific , as authorised by a GP.
• Undertake a Legionella assessment.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice