Dovercourt Group Practice

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Dovercourt Surgery on 2 February 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 an effective system in place for reporting and recording significant events.
• Risks to patients were assessed and well managed.
• Staff assessed patients’ needs and delivered care in line with current evidence based guidance. Staff had the skills, knowledge, training and experience to deliver effective care and treatment with the exception of two members of staff who had not received safeguarding training.
• Patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and they were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment.
• The practice was performing higher than the national average in several areas including mental health and dementia. For example, 96% of patients diagnosed with dementia had received a face to face meeting in the previous 12 months (compared to the national average of 84%) and of those patients diagnosed with a mental health condition, 98% had a comprehensive care plan reviewed in the last 12 months (compared to the national average of 88%). 
• Information about services and how to complain was available and easy to understand.
• Patients said they found it easy to make an appointment with urgent appointments available the same day at the walk in clinic.
• The practice had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs.
• There was a clear leadership structure 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 areas of outstanding practice:

• The practice offered work placements for people to help develop their confidence, life and work skills. They provided us with examples where this led to permanent employment and support to access further/higher education.

• Staff told us they would act as patient advocates. For example, by helping to write letters and facilitating appointments at the practice instead of in the community so patients could be seen in familiar surroundings.

• The practice had an older people’s co-ordinator who sent screening letters to patients aged over 75 who had not attended the practice for sometime. This was a simple checklist to update on health and general wellbeing. It also provided the practice with regular updated information on carer/next of kin information. The co-ordinator followed an algorithm which enabled the patient to be signposted to other services if appropriate. For example, to the community support worker.

The areas where the provider should make improvements are:

• Maintain a complete record of the immunity status of all clinical staff.

• Maintain a schedule of carpet deep cleaning.

• Ensure all staff complete required safeguarding training as per Safeguarding Children and Young people: roles and competencies for health care staff intercollegiate document (third edition: March 2014).

Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP 

Chief Inspector of General Practice