Archived: Beech Grove Medical Practice

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Beech Grove Medical Practice on 8 March 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 a system was in place for reporting and recording significant events.
• 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.
• 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.
• Patients said they could easily make appointments with a named GP and felt there was continuity of care.
• The practice had good facilities and was equipped to treat patients and meet their needs.
• There was a leadership structure and staff felt supported by the management team. The practice proactively sought feedback from staff and patients, which it acted on.
• The partners were  aware of and complied with the requirements of the Duty of Candour. This means they must be open and transparent with patients about their care and treatment, including when it goes wrong.

We saw  areas of outstanding practice:

• The practice offered extended opening hours during the week for patients who were unable to attend during normal surgery times. They pro-actively and reactively managed their appointment system which means their patients were always seen.

• The practice used proactive methods to improve patient outcomes and this was validated by their higher than the national performance indicators for treating patients with diabetes, hypertension (high blood pressure) and mental health issues.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice