Archived: Owlthorpe Medical Centre

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Owlthorpe Medical Centre on 6 September 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 a system in place for reporting and recording significant events.
• Risks to patients were assessed and mostly well managed although there were some shortfalls with regard to medicines management, fire safety and monitoring of emergency equipment.
• 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 leadership structure in place 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.

We saw one area of outstanding practice:

• The practice had arranged, in conjunction with the local authority, a door to door bus service for patients who were unable to easily access the practice. The practice had implemented this as it recognised there was no public transport facilities that passed by the practice and patients who did not have their own transport and were less mobile may struggle to access services. 

The areas where the provider must make improvement are:

• Ensure systems for controlling and recording the movement of blank prescriptions and prescription pads within the practice are in line with the NHS Protect Safety of Prescription Forms Guidance.

The areas where the provider should make improvement are:

• Patient Group Directives (PGD’s) should be signed by the authorising representative of the practice.

• Carry out annual fire drills as identified as an action in their own fire risk assessment.

• Review the risk assessment completed for non clinical staff who perform chaperone duties to ensure the risks and mitigating actions are clearly identified.

• Implement a system to regularly check the oxygen cylinder and the battery and pads of the defibrillator to ensure the equipment was in good working order inbetween the annual service.

• Consider formalising the clinical and staff meetings so there is a clear record of items discussed and decisions made.

Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP 

Chief Inspector of General Practice