Somerset Bridge Medical Centre

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Somerset Bridge Medical Centre on 20 January 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 told us they were updated at the beginning of each shift with practice concerns or risks.
• 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.
• Routine patient appointments were for fifteen minutes.
• 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.
• 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. (Duty of Candour is a legal duty to ensure providers are open and transparent with people who use services. It also sets out specific requirements providers must follow when things go wrong with care and treatment, including informing patients about the incident, providing reasonable support, providing truthful information and an apology when things go wrong).

We saw areas of outstanding practice:

• The practice understood the patient population and used proactive approaches to improve patient wellbeing and physical health. For example, the provision of a weight management group, a weekly walking group and an annual birthday review for patients with a mental health diagnosis.
• The practice provided a support service for vulnerable patients and carers. For example, the practice hosted Age UK fortnightly drop in clinics and a carer’s support group; the practice worked with a carer’s voluntary organisation that contacted and supported all carers on the practice list.
• The practice provided staff with additional training and skills. For example, to manage insulin initiation which provided good continuity of care and reduced the need for involvement of the secondary care team. In addition diabetic patients received a mobile phone number where a practice nurse was available for support 24 hours a day.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice