Archived: White Medical Group

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at the White Medical Group on 11 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. The staff team took the opportunity to learn from all internal and external incidents.

• Staff assessed patients’ needs and delivered care in line with current evidence based guidance. They had the skills, knowledge and experience to deliver effective care and treatment.

• Overall, risks to patients and staff were assessed and well managed, and there was evidence of good governance arrangements.

• Services were tailored to meet the needs of individual patients and were delivered in a way that ensured flexibility, choice and continuity of care. All staff were actively engaged in monitoring and improving quality and patient outcomes. Staff were committed to supporting patients to live healthier lives, through a targeted and proactive approach to health promotion.

• Outcomes for patients were consistently very good. Data from the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) showed that patient outcomes in the clinical and public health indicators covered were above average, when compared to the local clinical commissioning group (CCG) and England averages. The practice had also performed well in respect of their cervical screening uptake rate, which was higher

• Patients’ emotional and social needs were seen as being as important as their physical needs, and there was a strong, person-centred culture. Patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and they were involved in decisions about their treatment.

• The practice had very good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs.

The areas where the provider must make improvement are:

• Ensure medicines are managed safely and appropriately. This includes making sure there is a rigorous system for recording actions taken in response to medicines safety alerts, and ensuring that all medicines requiring cool storage are stored securely.

However, there were also areas where the provider needs to make improvements. The provider should:

• Ensure the practice’s significant event reports, and ‘near-miss’ dispensary events, include more detail regarding the lessons to be learned from what happened, and what needs to change to achieve this.

• Carry out regular checks to confirm that nursing staff continue to be registered with their professional body. Ensure there is documentary evidence to confirm this.

• Provide information about complaints, and provide opportunities for patients to provide feedback, in the patient waiting area.

• Make sure sharps bins are signed and dated by the member of staff who sets them up.

• Carry out a lone working risk assessment.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice