Archived: The Avenue Surgery

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

This practice is rated as Good overall. (Previous inspection April 2015 – Good)

The key questions are rated as:

Are services safe? – Good

Are services effective? – Good

Are services caring? – Good

Are services responsive? – Good

Are services well-led? - Good

As part of our inspection process, we also look at the quality of care for specific population groups. The population groups are rated as:

Older People – Good

People with long-term conditions – Good

Families, children and young people – Good

Working age people (including those recently retired and students – Good

People whose circumstances may make them vulnerable – Good

People experiencing poor mental health (including people with dementia) - Good

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at The Avenue Surgery on 23 November 2017 as part of our inspection programme.

At this inspection we found:

• The practice had clear systems to manage risk so that safety incidents were less likely to happen. When incidents did happen, the practice learned from them and improved their processes.
• The practice routinely reviewed the effectiveness and appropriateness of the care it provided. It ensured that care and treatment was delivered according to evidence- based guidelines.
• The practice made improvements to the quality of care and treatment through the use of audit and were able to demonstrate action taken and measurable improvements as a result.
• Staff involved and treated patients with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect and they demonstrated a good understanding of the needs of the local patient population.
• The practice worked with other services to meet the needs of their complex and transient population groups.
• Patients found the appointment system easy to use and reported that they were able to access care when they needed it.
• There was a strong focus on continuous learning and improvement at all levels of the organisation.
• There was evidence of good working with the patient participation group in order to engage, listen and work with patients to ensure that services met patient needs.
• Clear action had been taken by the practice to improve antimicrobial prescribing.
• Exception reporting was high in some areas; however the practice demonstrated a good awareness and understanding of this and took continuous action to encourage improvements.
• Patient satisfaction was high in relation to GP and nurse consultations and their involvement in planning and decision making about their care.
• The practice encouraged access to services by promoting online services, drop-in services for specific groups and extended hours appointments in the evening and at the weekend.

The areas where the provider should make improvements are:

• Continue to work to improve exception reporting in relation to patient outcomes for those with long term conditions.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice