Thursby Surgery

Background to this inspection

Updated 8 August 2016

Thursby Surgery provides services to around 7,613 patients in the Burnley area of East Lancashire under a General Medical Services (GMS) contract with NHS England. The local Clinical commissioning Group (CCG) is East Lancashire CCG.

The practice has four GP partners, two male and two female; three practice nurses and a health care assistant (HCA). A practice manager, and team of nine administrative and reception staff support the practice. The practice is a training practice and supports medical students.

The practice is open between 8am and 6.30pm Monday, Thursday and Friday; 8am until 8pm Tuesdays and 7am until 6.30pm on Wednesdays. The practice has seen an increase in South Asian patients over recent years, and is now seeing increasing numbers of Eastern European patients. The practice has a higher proportion of patients who are over 55 years old than average, and less 20 – 50 year olds than average.

Out of Hours services are provided by East Lancashire Medical Services Ltd. Information published by Public Health England rates the level of deprivation within the practice population group as three on a scale of one to 10 (level one represents the highest levels of deprivation and level 10 the lowest). East Lancashire has a higher prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD, a lung condition) smoking and smoking related ill-health, cancer, mental health and dementia than national averages.

Overall inspection

Good

Updated 8 August 2016

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

This is a focused desk top review of evidence supplied by Thursby Surgery, for one area only, overview of safety systems and processes, within the key question safe.

We found the practice to be good in providing safe services. Overall, the practice is rated as good.

The practice was inspected on 21 April 2016. The inspection was a comprehensive inspection under the Health and Social Care Act 2008. At that inspection, the practice was rated ‘good’ overall. However, within the key question safe, overview of safety systems and processes was identified as requires improvement, as the practice was not meeting the legislation at that time; Regulation 12 HSCA (RA) Regulations 2014 Safe care and treatment.

At the inspection in April 2016 we found that; infection prevention and control audits had not been routinely carried out to improve infection prevention and control arrangements, the cleaning schedule did not cover routine cleaning of all areas and there had been no COSHH assessments of cleaning materials. There was no protocol or procedure for cleaning up spillage of bodily fluids. Some clinical staff had not completed immunisation training in the last year. Not all emergency medication was available.

The system for authorising patient group directions required review to ensure they were signed. In addition the safeguarding policy has been updated to include more detail about adult safeguarding. The protocol for lone working had been updated to include visits out of hours.

The practice supplied an action plan and a range of documents which demonstrated they are now meeting the requirements of Regulation 12 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 Safe care and treatment.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP)

Chief Inspector of General Practice