Ashwell Surgery

Updated 21 April 2017

Ashwell Surgery situated in Lawyers Close, Gardiners Lane, Ashwell, Baldock provides primary medical care for approximately 7,900 patients living in village of Ashwell and surrounding areas. A branch of this practice is located at Spring Lane, Bassingbourn, Royston and serves the village

of Bassingbourn and surrounding areas. The practice maintains one patient list and patients can access either practice. We did not inspect the Bassingbourn branch at this time.

Ashwell Surgery provides services under a General Medical Services (GMS) contract agreed nationally. The practice population is predominantly white British however the practice also serves a small ethnic population; mostly of Eastern European origin.

The practice has four GPs partners; three males and one female. There is a practice nurse who is supported by a health care assistant. There are three anticoagulant nurses and two anticoagulant health care assistants who provide a community anticoagulation service to patients in ten out of

the 12 GP practices in the local area. There is a practice manager who is supported by a team of administrative and reception staff. The local NHS trusts provide health visiting and community nursing services to patients at this practice. This practice trains new GPs and currently has two trainee GPs.

The main practice (Ashwell Surgery) operates from two storey premises. Patient consultations and treatments take place on the ground floor. The first floor is mainly used by administrative staff. There is free car parking outside the surgery with adequate disabled parking available.

Ashwell Surgery is a dispensing practice and has a dispensary which is open during surgery times. There are three staff attached to the dispensary.

The practice is open Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday between 8.30am and 12.45pm and between 1.45pm and 6.30pm. On Tuesdays the surgery is open in the morning only between 8.30am and 1.30pm. Patients can access the Bassingbourn branch during Tuesday afternoon. The practice also offers telephone appointments as well as telephone consultations, early morning appointments at 7am once a week and Saturday morning appointments once a month.

When the practice is closed services are provided via the 111 service.

Updated 21 April 2017

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out a desk-based focused review of Ashwell Surgery on 14 March 2017. This was to check that improvements had been made following the breaches of legal requirements we identified from our comprehensive inspection carried out on 17 February 2016. During our inspection in February 2016 we identified regulatory breaches in relation to:

• Regulation 12 HSCA (RA) Regulations 2014 safe care and treatment
• Regulation 17 HSCA (RA) Regulations 2014 good governance

This report only covers our findings in relation to the areas identified as requiring improvement following our inspection in February 2016. You can read the report from this comprehensive inspection, by selecting the 'all reports' link for Ashwell Surgery on our website at www.cqc.org.uk. The areas identified as requiring improvement during our inspection in February 2016 were as follows:

• Ensure staff that act as chaperones are risk assessed for the need of a Disclosure and Barring Check (DBS) and those that require one receive a DBS check.
• Ensure that the healthcare assistant has patient specific instructions from a prescriber before administering medicines.
• Ensure an appropriate system is implemented for the safe management of controlled drugs.

In addition, the practice were told they should:

• Introduce a system to risk assess the need for a DBS check at recruitment and for long standing staff.
• Complete the delivery of the appraisals for non- clinical staff and competency assessments for dispensary staff in line with the programme schedule; completion date 31 March 2016.
• Carry out periodic fire drills.
• Complete the revision of the business continuity plan.

Our focused review on 14 March 2017 showed that improvements had been made and our key findings across the areas we inspected were as follows:

• Systems had been improved to ensure that all non-clinical staff roles had been risk assessed to determine if a Disclosure and Barring (DBS) check was required.
• The practice had an appropriate system in place to ensure patient specific directions were approved by a prescriber prior to the health care assistant administering vaccines.
• Systems had been improved to ensure patient identification was checked prior to the issuing of any controlled drugs.
• The practice had an appraisal policy and procedure in place and all non-clinical staff members had received an appraisal within the last 12 months.
• Fire drills were carried out on a regular basis and the practice maintained a record of this.
• The practice had a business continuity plan in place in place for major incidents such as power failure or building damage.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Updated 21 April 2017

Following our comprehensive inspection on 17 February 2016 we rated the practice as good for the population group of people with long-term conditions. We did not review any evidence during our desk based review to alter this rating.

Updated 21 April 2017

Following our comprehensive inspection on 17 February 2016 we rated the practice as good for the population group of families, children and young people. We did not review any evidence during our desk based review to alter this rating.

Updated 21 April 2017

Following our comprehensive inspection on 17 February 2016 we rated the practice as good for the population group of older people. We did not review any evidence during our desk based review to alter this rating.

Updated 21 April 2017

Following our comprehensive inspection on 17 February 2016 we rated the practice as good for the population group of working age people (including those recently retired and students). We did not review any evidence during our desk based review to alter this rating.

Updated 21 April 2017

Following our comprehensive inspection on 17 February 2016 we rated the practice as good for the population group of people experiencing poor mental health (including people with dementia). We did not review any evidence during our desk based review to alter this rating.

Updated 21 April 2017

Following our comprehensive inspection on 17 February 2016 we rated the practice as good for the population group of people whose circumstances may make them vulnerable. We did not review any evidence during our desk based review to alter this rating.