England’s Chief Inspector of General Practice has welcomed improvements in the quality of services provided by Haverhill Family Practice in Haverhill, Suffolk.
In January 2017, inspectors identified concerns with regard to the leadership, effectiveness and safety of the practice. As a result the practice was given an overall rating of Inadequate and placed into special measures.
The latest inspection which took place in September 2017 concluded the practice had addressed all areas of concern. It has now been awarded an overall rating of Good for being safe, caring, responsive and well-led and rated Requires Improvement for being effective.
A full report of the latest inspection has been published on our website.
Inspectors found that since the original inspection the practice had taken significant steps to improve leadership, with a focus on improving the quality and safety of its services to patients.
Examples of key findings and improvements, included:
- Practice staff felt supported by the management team and the GPs. The practice proactively sought feedback from staff and used the PPG survey for feedback from patients.
- The practice had implemented a system to proactively identify patients who were carers to ensure they received appropriate support.
- The systems and processes in place for reporting and recording significant events had improved and learning was shared with the practice team.
- There were significant improvements in the management of patients who were taking medicines which required closer monitoring.
- The practice had improved the management of infection prevention and control.
- The practice demonstrated improved clinical leadership to assess, monitor, and improve the quality and safety of the services provided
Professor Steve Field, Chief Inspector of General Practice, said:
“It was disappointing that our inspection earlier this year highlighted concerns, particularly in relation to whether it was safe, effective and well-led.
“I am very pleased to see that since then, the practice has made significant progress, which has led to a much better service for patients resulting in a new rating of Good across all areas and a removal from Special Measures.
“During the latest inspection we found the provider had significantly strengthened their leadership and management and had taken a proactive team approach towards making and sustaining improvements in quality.
“Each GP partner had taken a lead area and worked with the practice management team and staff to ensure systems and processes was implemented.
“A detailed ‘family tree’ was displayed identifying leads for areas such as performance, governance, safety and innovation. Practice staff we spoke with
told us this was working well and that decisions were made in a more timely way and changes were implemented.
“We saw staff treated patients with kindness and respect, and maintained patient and information confidentiality. Inspectors saw that staff handled difficult and emotional situations with professionalism and empathy.
“It is clear that the practice took our findings seriously, seeking external advice to help it improve and working hard to implement the necessary changes. All of the staff should be extremely proud of what they have achieved and I applaud the dedication and commitment they have shown to improving the care of their patients.”
Ends
For further information, please contact Regional Engagement Officer, Helen Gildersleeve, on 0191 233 3379.
Journalists wishing to speak to the press office outside of office hours can find out how to contact the team here.
Please note: the press office is unable to advise members of the public on health or social care matters. For general enquiries, please call 03000 61 61 61.