12 November 2014
During a routine inspection
Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice
The Rosendale Surgery, located in West Dulwich in the London borough of Lambeth provides a general practice service to around 5,700 patients.
We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 12 November 2014. The inspection took place over one day and was undertaken by a lead inspector, along with a GP advisor, a specialist advisor with a background in practice management and an Expert by Experience. We spoke with patients, members of the patient participation group (PPG), and staff including the management team.
Overall the practice is rated as Good.
Our key findings were as follows:
• The service is safe. There were systems in place for reporting, recording and monitoring significant events to help provide improved care. Staff were clear of their roles in regards to monitoring and reporting of incidents, safeguarding vulnerable people and children, and following infection prevention and control guidelines.
• The service is effective. Staff shared best practice through internal arrangements and meetings and also by sharing knowledge and expertise with external consultants and other GP practices. There was strong multidisciplinary input in the service delivery to improve patient outcomes.
• The practice is caring. Feedback from patients about their care and treatment via the national and practice-run surveys was very positive. Patients were treated with kindness and respect and felt involved in their care decisions. Almost all the comment cards completed by patients who used the service in the two weeks prior to our inspection visit had very positive comments about the care and service provided by the surgery.
• The practice is responsive to people’s needs. The practice had an active Patient Participation Group (PPG) and worked with them to improve the service. The practice was responsive to the needs of the vulnerable patients and there was a strong focus on caring and on the provision of patient-centred care. Information on health promotion and prevention, services provided by the practice and the support available in the community was available for patients.
• The practice is well-led. The practice had a clear vision and strategic direction, was well-led, staff were suitably supported and patient care and safety was a high priority.
We saw areas of outstanding practice in the joint working with the Patient Participation Group. Some instances included:
- Recognising the trend on complaints regarding appointment access, The practice discussed the various models of appointments systems they had researched with the PPG. The PPG then agreed with the practice the model they would pilot from April 2014.
- Joint working to gain approval for the business plans to relocate to a new purpose built surgery in 2016.
However, there were also areas of practice where the provider needs to make improvements.
The provider should:
Ensure the risk log is updated regularly.
Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP)
Chief Inspector of General Practice