Hollywood Medical Practice

On this page

• Overview
• Learning culture
• Safe systems, pathways and transitions
• Safeguarding
• Involving people to manage risks
• Safe environments
• Safe and effective staffing
• Infection prevention and control
• Medicines optimisation

We looked for evidence people were protected from abuse and avoidable harm.

At our last assessment, we rated this key question as good. At this assessment, the rating remains the same. This meant people were safe and protected from avoidable harm.

This service scored 75 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The service had a proactive and positive culture of safety, based on openness and honesty. They listened to concerns about safety and investigated and reported safety events. Lessons were learnt to continually identify and embed good practice. Managers encouraged staff to raise concerns when things went wrong. During staff meetings, the whole team discussed and learnt from clinical issues. Staff felt there was an open culture, and patient safety was a top priority. The provider had processes for staff to report incidents, near misses and safety events. There was a system to record and investigate complaints, and when things went wrong, staff apologised and gave people support. Learning from incidents and complaints resulted in changes which improved care for others.

The service worked with people and healthcare partners to establish and maintain safe systems of care, in which safety was managed or monitored. They made sure there was continuity of care, including when people moved between different services. There were systems in place for processing information relating to new patients. The service worked with other providers to deliver shared care and when patients moved between services. Referrals and test results were managed in a timely way. All test results were reviewed on the day they were received. The practice used a buddy system for GPs which meant if one GP was not at work their test results would be reviewed by the buddy GP so patients could receive their results as soon as possible.

The service worked with people and healthcare partners to understand what being safe meant to them and the best way to achieve that. They concentrated on improving people’s lives while protecting their right to live in safety, free from bullying, harassment, abuse, discrimination, avoidable harm and neglect. The service shared concerns quickly and appropriately. Safeguarding policies were in place and known to staff, who were appropriately trained in safeguarding procedures. The practice maintained a list of vulnerable people and acted on concerns working in partnership with other organisations such as the primary care frailty team who were based in the same building.

The service worked with people to understand and manage risks by thinking holistically. They provided care to meet people’s needs which was safe, supportive and enabled people to do the things which mattered to them. The practice was well established and many of the people they provided treatment to were from multi-generational families the staff knew well. This meant staff could recognise if people’s needs had changed and ask relevant questions to minimise potential risk. People were advised on risks related to their condition and actions to take if their condition deteriorated.

The service detected and controlled potential risks in the care environment. They made sure equipment, facilities and technology supported the delivery of safe care. Leaders ensured contracts were in place to ensure the premises were maintained and waste was disposed of correctly. Health and safety risk assessments and audits had been undertaken and risks identified had been addressed. There was a business continuity plan in place which was monitored and reviewed. Leaders were developing an unused building on the site of the main practice to increase the number of clinic rooms. This was self-funded project which they had decided to do due to the number of houses being built locally which would significantly increase their patient numbers.

The service made sure there were enough qualified, skilled and experienced staff, who received effective support, supervision and development. Staff worked together well to provide safe care which met people’s individual needs. There were a range of clinical and non-clinical roles within the practice. We found training was up to date, learning needs and development of staff was managed appropriately, and staff were working within their agreed areas of competence. However, staff had not received training in recognising the symptoms of sepsis (a life-threatening illness caused by the body’s response to infection). Leaders rectified this immediately by adding it to the mandatory training for all staff. Safe recruitment practices were followed, and staff were recruited safely.

Leaders and staff assessed and managed the risk of infection. They detected and controlled the risk of it spreading and shared concerns with appropriate agencies promptly. The practice had a designated infection, prevention and control lead and all staff had relevant training. Cleaning schedules were in place and followed. Risk assessments and audits were completed, and actions taken to mitigate risks.

The service ensured medicines and treatments were safe and tailored to people’s needs, capacities, and preferences. People were involved in planning their care, including when changes occurred. Staff supported individuals in reviewing their medicines and helped them understand how to manage them safely. People knew what to do and who to contact if their condition worsened or they experienced unexpected symptoms.

Staff received regular training and competency assessments in medicines optimisation, and felt confident managing the storage, administration, and documentation of medicines. Prescription stationery was handled securely. Staff followed established protocols to prescribe medicines safely and ensured people received recommended reviews and monitoring.

Stock levels and expiry dates were routinely checked for all medicines, including emergency medicines, vaccines, and controlled drugs. Medical gases, such as oxygen, were stored safely, with appropriate risk assessments completed. The provider had effective systems for managing safety alerts and medicine recalls. Staff followed processes to ensure medicines with specific risks were monitored appropriately and prescribed to optimise care outcomes, including antibiotics.

A regular programme of clinical audits supported safe prescribing and improved care. Although there was no formal audit programme for the advanced nurse prescriber, regular supervision and support were provided. Leaders committed to implementing routine audits for this role moving forward.