16 September 2015
During a routine inspection
Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice
We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Netherley Medical Centre on 16 September 2015.
Overall the practice is rated good.
Our key findings across all the areas we inspected were as follows:
- The practice was clean and had good facilities including disabled access and facilities including a low level reception desk.
- There were systems in place to mitigate safety risks including analysing significant events and safeguarding. The practice was clean and tidy. The practice used a pharmacy advisor to ensure the practice was prescribing in line with current guidelines and a pharmacy was situated in the same building.
- Information about services and how to complain was available. The practice sought patient views about improvements that could be made to the service, including having a patient participation group (PPG) and acted on feedback.
- A Local Medical Director had been recently appointed to oversee the clinical governance of the practice and was proactively encouraging the use of clinical audits to ensure patients received treatment in line with best practice standards.
- Staff worked well together as a team and all felt supported to carry out their roles.
However there were improvements the provider should consider:-
- Have notices displayed to patients in the reception area and website to advise them which doctors were available on different days.
Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP)
Chief Inspector of General Practice