17 May 2016
During a routine inspection
Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice
We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Rickleton Medical Centre on 17 May 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.
- Most risks to patients were assessed and well managed.
- Staff assessed patients’ needs and delivered care in line with current evidence based guidance. Staff had been trained to provide them with the skills, knowledge and experience to deliver effective care and treatment.
- There was a programme of clinical audit, but it was not clear how the practice used this to demonstrate quality improvement.
- Patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and they were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment.
- The practice encouraged patient feedback, including complaints. Improvements were made to the quality of care as a result of complaints and concerns.
- Patients said they found it easy to make an appointment with a named GP and there was continuity of care, with urgent appointments available the same day.
- 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 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 one area of outstanding practice:
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The practice led on a locality initiative to improve the information available to parents to help them access the right support for their ill child. This won the national General Practice Award for clinical team of the year for paediatrics in 2015. The initiative included holding a fun day, educational sessions for parents and producing a children’s leaflet. Analysis of parental knowledge about what conditions could be treated at home, prior to and following education sessions, demonstrated a 29% increase in understanding (from 67% to 96%).
The areas where the provider should make improvements are:
- Consider how they review incidents and significant events over a period of time to increase learning related to any trends and themes.
- Improve the approach to audit to ensure standards are clearly defined, and there is a clear link between audits and improvement in the quality of the service.
Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP)
Chief Inspector of General Practice