Priory Gardens Surgery

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Priory Gardens Surgery on 5 April 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.
• 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 urgent appointments available the same day.
• The practice had reasonable 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 one area of outstanding practice:

• Patients across the locality were able to utilise the practice’s deep vein thrombosis (DVT) service, which provided testing for patients at risk of developing blood clots.

The areas where the provider should make improvement are:

• Ensure that all staff receive regular appraisals.
• Ensure that newly developed systems for monitoring blank prescription pads are maintained and regularly reviewed.
• Develop systems to identify and support more carers in their patient population.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice