- GP practice
Archived: Lytham Road Surgery
All Inspections
30 March 2017
During an inspection looking at part of the service
Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice
We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Lytham Road Surgery on 15 December 2016. The overall rating for the practice was good with the key question of safe rated as requires improvement. The full comprehensive report on the December 2016 inspection can be found by on our website at http://www.cqc.org.uk/location/1-565501213
This inspection was a desk-based review carried out on 30 March 2017 to confirm that the practice had carried out their plan to meet the legal requirements in relation to the breaches in regulations that we identified in our previous inspection on 15 December 2016. This report covers our findings in relation to those requirements.
Overall the practice is now rated as good.
Our key findings were as follows:
- At the inspection in December 2016 we found that the practice had not ensured that staff followed policies and procedures regarding the management of medicines, in particular in maintaining the cold chain and the storage of vaccines in the fridge within acceptable temperature ranges. At this desk-based review we saw evidence that the practice had addressed these issues. They had reviewed and amended practice policy and procedure, purchased additional temperature recorders and ensured that staff recorded fridge temperatures in line with practice policy and acted appropriately if temperatures fell outside acceptable ranges.
- During our previous inspection we saw that the practice had a comprehensive business continuity plan in place for major incidents such as power failure or building damage. However, the practice management team did not keep copies of this plan at home. At this review, we saw that practice policy required key practice personnel to keep a copy of the plan at home and we were told that this happened.
Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP)
Chief Inspector of General Practice
15/12/2016
During a routine inspection
Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice
We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Lytham Road Surgery on 15 December 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 been trained to provide them with the skills, knowledge and experience to deliver effective care and treatment.
- Patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and they were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment.
- Information about services and how to complain was available and easy to understand. 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 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 one area of outstanding practice:
- The practice had a community nurse practitioner who supported patients in nursing and residential accommodation. They also supported housebound patients in managing their long term conditions. The nurse practitioner completed care plans, provided medication reviews, did post-hospital discharge visits and liaised with carers when necessary. They highlighted to the GPs in the practice any patients they considered needed palliative support.
However there were areas of practice where the provider needs to make improvements:
Importantly the provider must:
- Ensure their cold chain policies and procedures are consistently applied. The cold chain is the process of maintaining vaccines and medication at a stable temperature throughout the supply chain. Temperatures outside this range may reduce potency leading to lack of desired response e.g. reduced immunity.
In addition the provider should:
- Consider that key members of staff keep a copy of the practice business continuity plan at home.
Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP)
Chief Inspector of General Practice