12 July 2016
During a routine inspection
Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice
We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Gildersome Health Centre on 12 July 2016. 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.
- 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.
- 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 on.
- The provider was aware of and complied with the requirements of the duty of candour.
The areas where the provider should make improvements are:
- Review their arrangements for clinical audit at the practice. Clinical audits should be clearly linked to patient outcomes, monitored for effectiveness and be comprised of two or more cycles to monitor improvements to patient outcomes.
- Take steps to review and improve the recording of meetings that are taking place within the practice, including the subject matter discussed, decisions made and action taken as a result.
- The practice should review their significant event and incident reporting systems in order to ensure that they are identifying, reporting, recording, investigating and learning from all such incidents, including near misses.
Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP)
Chief Inspector of General Practice