Grenoside Surgery

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Grenoside Surgery and the branch site at Wadsley Bridge on 23 February 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.
• Most risks to patients were assessed and well managed with the exception of some outstanding actions noted on the practice’s own infection prevention and control (IPC) audit. In addition, the branch site had not carried out a fire drill for some time.
• 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 found it easy to make an appointment with a named GP and that there was continuity of care, with urgent appointments available the same day.
• 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 registered provider was aware of and complied with the requirements of the Duty of Candour.

We saw one area of outstanding practice:

• The practice staff gave examples where acts of care and kindness had been shown to patients. For example, one non clinical member of staff told us he had visited a patient at home following discharge from hospital and had assisted in re-setting the heating system to enable the patient to be more comfortable and reception staff told us they would book taxis for patients to go home following their appointment at the surgery should they request one.

The areas where the provider should make improvement are:

• Complete outstanding actions identified on own IPC audit. To include deep cleaning of carpets and fitting soap dispensers to walls in the treatment rooms.

• The practice should arrange for the branch site to undertake regular fire drills.

• The practice should ensure the system to check the expiry date of clinical consumables, for example, syringes is completed.

• The practice should maintain a record of completed daily cleaning schedules.

Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP

Chief Inspector of General Practice