Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice
We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Pendleside Medical Practice on 27 January 2016. Overall the practice is rated as outstanding.
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. Evidence of close working with the neighbouring GP practice and other community health service was productive and led to consistent standards of care for patients in the locality.
- Feedback from patients about their care was consistently and strongly positive. Patients described the GP practice as excellent; staff were described as caring and professional.
- The practice worked closely with other organisations and with the local community in planning how services were provided to ensure that they meet patients’ needs. For example healthcare professionals told us of the supportive nature of the GP practice by responding quickly to concerns identified with patients.
- 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. For example it had rearranged the seating in the waiting room to allow patients to sit more comfortably and had taken appropriate action to minimise potential impact on patient privacy as a result of this.
- The practice was had the facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs. The practice provided a medicine dispensing service for patients that did not live near a pharmacy.
- Information about how to complain was available on the practice notice board and in their patient brochure.
- The practice had a clear vision which had quality and safety as its top priority. The strategy to deliver this vision had been produced with stakeholders and was regularly reviewed and discussed with staff.
We saw several areas of outstanding practice including:
- The practice worked closely with the other GP practice and the other healthcare professionals located within the building to develop local clinical pathways. A clinical pathway for guidance and management of atrial fibrillation had been agreed and implemented. This ensured patients living in the locality received consistent, evidence based care and treatment for atrial fibrillation.
- Practice staff had the support of the GP partners to identify and review healthcare conditions not routinely reviewed or monitored. For example one practice nurse reviewed the treatment and support provided to patients with Coeliac disease. As a result patients with Coeliac disease were offered an annual review and received a planned consistent standard of treatment and support.
The areas where the provider should make improvement are:
- Review the management of the practice complaints policy and procedures so that complaints are responded to objectively and the policy aligns with recognised guidance and contractual obligations for GPs in England. Final letters to complaints should include the contact details for the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman.
Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP)
Chief Inspector of General Practice