Archived: Charlotte Keel Medical Practice

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

Seymour Medical Centre in situated in the inner city area of Bristol with approximately 12600 registered patients. We undertook a comprehensive announced inspection on 9 December 2014. Our inspection team was led by a Care Quality Commission (CQC) Lead Inspector, a practice nurse specialist advisor, an expert by experience and GP specialist advisor.

Before visiting, we reviewed a range of information we held about the practice and asked other organisations to share what they knew. This included the Bristol Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), NHS England and Healthwatch.

The overall rating for Seymour Medical Practice is good. Our key findings were as follows:

• Patients were able to get an appointment when they needed it.
• Staff were caring and treated patients with kindness and respect.
• Staff explained and involved patients in treatment decisions
• Patients were cared for in an environment which was clean and reflected good infection control practices.
• Patients were protected from the risks of unsafe medicine management procedures.
• The practice had the appropriate equipment, medicines and procedures to manage foreseeable patient emergencies.
• The practice met nationally recognised quality standards for improving patient care and maintaining quality.
• The practice had systems to identify, monitor and evaluate risks to patients.
• Patients were treated by suitably qualified staff.
• GPs and nursing staff followed national guidance in the care and treatment provided.

We saw several areas of outstanding practice including:

• Seymour Medical Centre was proactive with future planning and development of services for patients. For example they had introduced a new access project to improve access to medical consultations for patients through a system of triage by GPs.
• Seymour Medical Practice worked in partnership with the local drug project to offer a shared care programme for patients with substance and alcohol misuse. The practice offered regular open clinics for patients with intravenous drug use to be tested for hepatitis.
• The practice participated in innovative programmes such as the tele dermatology project through which the practice accessed specialist dermatological advice for patients.
• We were told about the diabetes ‘drop in’ educational programme which can be accessed by any patient. This programme offered additional information and support with specific aspects of living with diabetes such as foot care.
• The practice ensured frail older patients were assessed for their potential risk of falling.
• Each month a surgery for carers was held to address any issues they may have.
• We were told about how the practice held focussed sessions to support patient whose circumstances may make them vulnerable. We saw this had been used for the Roma and the Somali communities to educate patients about immunisations and to give them confidence to use healthcare services.
• Clinicians from the practice had recorded short videos for the practice website which advised patients on minor illnesses.
• Seymour Medical Centre participated in national medical research through the Clinical Research Network programme a recent project was screening patients taking long term aspirin for helicobacter.

However, there was an area of practice where the provider needs to make improvement.

The provider should:

• Ensure that the recruitment process is fully implemented for all staff.

Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice