12 January 2017
During a routine inspection
Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice
We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Plowright Medical Centre on 12 January 2017. 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 an effective system in place for reporting and recording significant events. We were able to evidence significant events were recorded and discussed at practice meetings.
- Risks to patients were assessed and well managed.
- 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.
- 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.
- Patients said they found it easy to make an appointment with a named GP and 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 management. The practice proactively sought feedback from staff and patients, which it acted upon.
- The provider was aware of and complied with the requirements of the duty of candour.
- Clinical and non-clinical audits were carried out.
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On the day of the inspection we found that prescriptions were not being logged when received or distributed.Subsequent to this the practice produced a standard operating procedure plus log sheets for recording blank prescriptions.
We saw an area of outstanding practice:
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The practice provided accommodation for two wellbeing counsellors and the service was available for all patients in the community.The practice provided and paid for the services of three additional counsellors for three sessions a week, with different areas of expertise including child adolescent and psychotherapy, mental health, hypnotherapy, cognitive behavioural therapy, eating disorders, post-traumatic stress, phobias and depression.Clinics slots were for one hour and a quiet room with settees had been made available to help make patients feel relaxed and comfortable.Referrals to these services were made by the GPs. The practice explained that there were no local services for children’s counselling and the wellbeing counselling service, although beneficial to some patients, had a long waiting time and intervention was limited to specific areas of treatment.They said that they felt it was important to provide a wider range of therapy sessions on a one to one basis for their patients.
Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP)
Chief Inspector of General Practice