Archived: Dr R Withers & Partners Also known as Yaxley Group Practice

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Dr R Withers & Partners (Yaxley Group Practice) on 22 November 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 the practice had systems in place for reporting and recording significant events.
• Risks to patients who used services were assessed and well managed.
• The practice was proactive and responsive to patients’ needs.
• The practice had identified 270 patients as carers (1.8% of the practice list).
• Patient safety alerts were logged, shared and initial searches were completed and the changes effected.
• 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.
• The practice used the information collected for the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) and performance against national screening programmes to monitor outcomes for patients. (QOF is a system intended to improve the quality of general practice and reward good practice). The most recent published results showed the practice achieved 100% of the total number of points available which was above the CCG and the England average by 5% with an exception reporting of 17% which was higher than the CCG average by 6% and higher than the England average by 7%. (Exception reporting is the removal of patients from QOF calculations where, for example, the patients are unable to attend a review meeting or certain medicines cannot be prescribed because of side effects). The practice had recognised this and completed searches to ensure that patients had been exception reported appropriately.
• 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. 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 improvements are:

• Ensure consumables in the practice are checked regularly for their expiry date.

The practice had some outstanding elements:

• The practice employed a patients librarian who ran the “Age Well Club” at the practice for the older generation to socialise once a week and a “Full of Beans” exercise class for people over the age of 60. The patients librarian organised and ran a carers support group which met once a month and information was displayed in the waiting area, on the practice website and in the monthly newsletter. The patients librarian took on chaperone duties for patients, completed dementia cognitive initial tests when requested by the GPs, helped young people fill out the C-Card scheme registration form, assisted patients to fill out financial, disability and emotional support applications and referred patients to various support groups. Additional training for these roles had been undertaken. The patients librarian visited patients at their homes when they couldn’t attend the practice to see her. Additional training and a DBS check for these roles had been undertaken.
• A retired GP partner from the practice set up the local food bank in 2015 and the practice had a donation point for food. Vouchers were issued at the practice when GPs identified patients who were in need.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice