2 February 2016
During a routine inspection
Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice
We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Allington Clinic on 2 February 2016. Overall the practice is rated as good.
Our key findings across all the areas we inspected were as follows:
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Staff understood and fulfilled their responsibilities to raise concerns and report incidents and near misses. All opportunities for learning from internal and external incidents were maximised.
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Patients’ needs were assessed and care was planned and delivered following best practice guidance. Staff had received training appropriate to their roles.
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All risks to patients were consistently assessed and well managed.
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Patients’ records that contained confidential information were held in a secure way so that only authorised staff could access them.
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Patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and they were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment. Information was provided to help patients understand the care available to them. Feedback from patients about their care was consistently and strongly positive as well as significantly better than local and national feedback averages.
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The practice worked closely with other organisations and with the local community in planning how services were provided to help ensure that they met people’s needs. For example, in their professional interactions with a local nursing home, parents of and children on the ‘at risk’ register and those in vulnerable circumstances. There were regular six to eight weekly multidisciplinary meetings, as well as ‘as required’ meetings that were held if issues arose before the next scheduled meeting.
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Urgent appointments were available the same day and pre bookable appointments were available up to four weeks in advance.
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The practice implemented suggestions for improvements and made changes to the way it delivered services as a consequence of feedback from patients and from the patient participation group (PPG). Patients who had had cause to complain were invited to join the PPG, in order to encourage them to be involved in the way the practice is operated.
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The practice had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs. Information about how to complain was available and easy to understand.
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There was a business plan that was monitored, regularly reviewed and discussed with all staff. High standards were promoted and owned by all practice staff with evidence of team working across all roles.
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There was a clear leadership structure and staff felt supported by management.
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Governance and performance management arrangements were under constant review. The practice actively sought out and used data from wide range of sources.
We saw areas of outstanding practice including:
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The lead GP for safeguaring children knew the school nurse for each child and was aware of the issues at each school that the child attended, in order to help ensure they were aware of any mitigating factors which could have an impact on the child’s health.
Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP)
Chief Inspector of General Practice