Archived: Malling Health @ Wrekin

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection of Malling Health Wrekin Surgery on 9 November 2016. Overall the practice is rated as requires improvement.

Our key findings were as follows:

• There was an open and transparent approach to safety and a system in place for reporting and recording significant events. However, this did not include the monitoring of outcomes and we saw examples of when agreed actions did not happen.
• Staff assessed patients’ needs but the care delivered was not always 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 generally 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’ comments on the appointment system were mixed. The negative comments in relation to the appointment system generally came from registered patients wanting a non-urgent appointment with a GP.
• The practice had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs.
• There was a clear leadership structure and most staff felt supported by the area 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.

However, t here were also areas of practice where the provider must make improvements:

• Review the significant event process to ensure that information is shared by all relevant staff and to check that agreed actions have taken place.
• Implement a systematic approach to alerts to ensure that relevant alerts have been actioned.
• Ensure that patient group directions are completed and authorised for the nursing staff in advance of medicines being delivered to patients.

There were also areas of practice where the provider should make improvements:

• Ensure that the physical and mental health of all newly appointed staff is considered to ensure they are suitable to carry out the requirements of the role.
• Review the clinical capacity to ensure that planned work can be accommodated.
• Formulate an action plan to address the below average feedback in the GP national patient survey.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice