06/05/2015
During a routine inspection
Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice
We inspected Barton Surgery on 6th May 2015 as part of our comprehensive inspection programme. From all the evidence gathered during the inspection process we have rated the practice as good. The provider was rated as good for safe, responsive, caring, effective and well led services. It was also good for providing services for all of the population groups
Our key findings across all the areas we inspected were as follows:
• Staff understood and fulfilled their responsibilities to raise concerns and report incidents and near misses. All opportunities for learning from internal and external incidents were maximised.
• The practice used innovative and proactive methods to improve patient outcomes, working with other local providers to share best practice. For example working in partnership with the local consultant geriatrician.
• Patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and they were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment. Information was provided to help patients understand the care available to them.
• The practice implemented suggestions for improvements and made changes to the way it
delivered services as a consequence of feedback from patients and from the Patient Participation Group (PPG).
• The practice had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs. Information about how to complain was available and easy to understand.
• The practice had a clear vision which had quality and safety as its top priority. A business plan was in place, which was monitored and regularly reviewed and discussed with all staff. High standards were promoted and owned by all practice staff with evidence of team working across all roles.
We saw several areas of outstanding practice including:
The practice supported its patients and their families throughout difficult times. GPs carried out bereavement checks with patient’s relatives three months after the patient’s death to check how the relative was coping and to see if they needed any additional support.
The practice supported vulnerable patients by delivering the Violent Patient Scheme (VPS) to vulnerable patients in Torbay and South Devon. This was a scheme that was in place to protect staff from incidents of violence and aggression and to provide access to primary medical services for patients whose violent and aggressive behaviour has caused them to be removed from the GP practice list.
However, there were also areas of practice where the provider needs to make improvements.
In addition the provider should:
Update the practice handbook so that patients are aware the services offered by the practice and the opening times.
Introduce systems to ensure that portable equipment kept in GPs is routinely checked and testing equipment be kept in date.
Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP)
Chief Inspector of General Practice