28 February and 27 March 2018
During a routine inspection
This practice is rated as good overall (at the previous inspection undertaken in 12 October 2016, the practice received a good overall rating).
The key questions are rated as:
Are services safe? – Good
Are services effective? – Good
Are services caring? – Good
Are services responsive? – Good
Are services well-led? - Good
As part of our inspection process, we also look at the quality of care for specific population groups. The population groups are rated as:
Older People – Good
People with long-term conditions – Good
Families, children and young people – Good
Working age people (including those recently retired and students – Good
People whose circumstances may make them vulnerable – Good
People experiencing poor mental health (including people with dementia) - Good
We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Hereward Group Practice on 28 February 2018 and 27 March 2018. This inspection was carried out under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. The inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.
At this inspection we found:
- There was a structured approach to risk within the practice and this was well managed by the leadership team.
- The practice had clear systems to manage risk so that safety incidents were less likely to happen. When incidents did happen, the practice learned from them and improved their processes.
- GPs and practice staff worked effectively as a cohesive team and provided personalised and responsive care to their patients.
- There was a walk in surgery on Monday mornings and extended hours every Saturday morning to alloy for flexibility in the way appointments were available.
- There was a strong focus on continuous learning and improvement at all levels of the organisation.
- In response to some GPs leaving employment with the practice, there was the introduction of an ‘Acute Illness team’, which increased the number of appointments and allowed for the reception team to book the most appropriate clinician for the patients need.
- There was a clear leadership structure and staff told us they felt well supported by the partners and practice manager. We observed the positive impact this had in establishing a well-integrated practice team.
We saw the following areas of outstanding practice:
- The practice had implemented a quality management system to ensure each part of the practice was achieving the required standards.
However there were areas of practice where the provider should make improvements:
- Review the levels of patient satisfaction, and continue to improve in relation to access to the service.
Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP)
Chief Inspector of General Practice