Archived: Chichester Practice

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Chichester Practice on 22 September 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.
• Risks to patients were assessed and well managed.
• Outcomes for patients who use services were good.
• Patients’ needs were assessed and care was planned and delivered following best practice guidance.
• Staff were consistent and proactive in supporting patients to live healthier lives through a targeted approach to health promotion. Information was provided to patients to help them understand the care and treatment available
• Patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and they were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment.
• The practice had a system in place for handling complaints and concerns and responded quickly to any complaints.

{cke_protected_2}· Patients told us they were able to get an appointment with a GP when they needed one, with urgent appointments available on 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 in place and staff felt supported by management. The practice sought feedback from staff and patients, which they acted on.
• Staff throughout the practice worked well together as a team.
• The practice was aware of and complied with the requirements of the duty of candour.

We saw an area of outstanding practice which was:

• The practice was part of a frailty/multi-morbidity project. This involved identifying patients who were either palliative or housebound who had polypharmacy and three or more long term conditions. Polypharmacy is the use of four or more medications by a patient. A visit was arranged to see the patient and an advanced care plan was compiled. Patients who had been seen so far in the project included 20 in nursing homes and 35 in their own home. This had resulted in medication reviews and as a result of this there were further investigations with referrals to the memory clinic, continence clinic and geriatric assessments.

The areas where the provider should make improvements are:

• Consider compiling a business continuity plan for the practice.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice