Archived: Pennfields Health Centre Also known as IntraHealth Limited

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Pennfields Health Centre on 11 February 2016. Overall the practice is rated as good.

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.
• Risks to patients were assessed and well managed.
• Staff assessed patients’ needs and delivered care in line with current evidence based guidance. Staff had the skills, knowledge and experience to deliver effective care and treatment.
• The practice had implemented changes to meet the needs of its East European population and had established links with local community services to educate patients on how to access health care services. Staff also received cultural awareness training.
• The practice had a programme of continuous clinical and internal audit in order to monitor quality and make improvements. All staff were encouraged to carry out individual audits.
• Feedback from patients about their care was consistently positive.
• Information about services and how to complain was available and easy to understand, however the practice had not recorded and formally investigated all complaints received to demonstrate that lessons were learnt and improvements made where appropriate.
• Patients said they found it easy to make an appointment with a named GP and that there was continuity of care, with urgent appointments available the same day.
• 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 the 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 improvement are:

• Review the systems in place to record, investigate and demonstrate the outcome of written and verbal complaints received at the practice or through other sources.
• Improve the identification of registered patients who are carers and develop services to meet the needs of carers.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice