The Lawson Practice

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at The Lawson Practice on 21 August 2017. 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 in place for reporting and recording significant events.
• The practice had clearly defined and embedded systems to minimise risks to patient safety.
• Results from the national GP patient survey showed patients were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment.
• Information about services and how to complain was available. Improvements were made to the quality of care as a result of complaints and concerns.
• Patients we spoke with said they found it easy to make an appointment with a named GP and there was continuity of care, with urgent appointments available the same day and the option to use a new online service (WebGP), to communicate with a GP.
• 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 the requirements of the duty of candour. Examples we reviewed showed the practice complied with these requirements.

• Staff were aware of current evidence based guidance, although did not use an assistant when fitting intra-uterine contraceptive devices (IUCDs).

• The practice had lower than average rates for breast, bowel and cervical cancer screening uptake but were taking action to address this.
• Staff had been trained to provide them with the skills and knowledge to deliver effective care and treatment, although we found that the practice had a higher than average inadequate rate for cervical smear taking and were taking action to address this.
• The practice had a quality improvement programme although most audits were one cycle.
• The practice provided three clinics a week with an in-house Turkish or Kurdish speaking interpreter / advocate.

The areas where the provider should make improvement are:

• Review the programme of clinical audits to develop continuous cycle audits with improvement after each cycle.
• Review the training needs of staff who undertake cervical cancer screening.
• Review the low screening uptake for breast, bowel and cervical cancer and how targeting of patients can be improved.
• Review the need for an assistant to be present when fitting IUCDs.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice