Archived: Aston Pride Community Health Centre Also known as Raydocs

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Aston Pride Community Health Centre on 25 November 2016. The practice had previously been inspected in June 2015 and was found to be in breach of regulation 12 (safe care and treatment) and regulation 19 (fit and proper persons employed). The practice was rated as requires improvement overall.

Following the inspection the practice sent us an action plan detailing the action they were going to take to improve. We returned to the practice on 25 November 2016 to consider whether improvements had been made. At this inspection we found the practice had made sufficient improvements and 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.
• Risks to patients were assessed and well managed. We saw improvements made to patient safety since our previous inspection in relation to the management of the premises and staff.
• Staff assessed patients’ needs and delivered care in line with current evidence based guidance. Staff had been trained to provide them with 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.
• The practice had identified the impact of loneliness on patients’ health and wellbeing and had funded a project in which monthly coffee group were held and were well attended.
• Patient feedback from CQC comment cards and patients we spoke with was positive about the care received. However, the latest national patient survey showed scores that were lower than other practices locally and nationally. The practice had acted on this feedback with continual review and changes to the appointment systems in order to improve access. Appointments were available on the day of our inspection.
• Information about services and how to complain was available and easy to understand. Improvements were made to the quality of care as a result of complaints and concerns.
• 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 provider was aware of and complied with the requirements of the duty of candour.

The areas where the provider should make improvement are:

• Ensure child play area is specifically included as part of the cleaning schedule and cleaning audit checks.
• Review systems and processes for uncollected prescriptions.
• Review systems for recall of patients with long term conditions to identify how this might be improved.
• Review areas of high exception reporting and identify how this may be improved.
• Review how the use of clinical audits may better support service improvement.
• Review and identify how uptake of national screening might be improved in the practice population.
• Continue to review patient feedback to support continued improvement of the service.
• Recommence online services as soon as possible of the convenience of patients.
• Ensure all patients with a learning disability receive the opportunity for an annual health review.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice