Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice
We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Crown Wood Medical Centre on 2 March 2016. Overall the practice is rated as good.
Specifically, we found the practice good for providing safe, effective, responsive, caring and well led services.
Our key findings across all the areas we inspected were as follows:
- Staff understood and fulfilled their responsibilities to raise concerns, and to report incidents and near misses. The majority of information about safety was recorded, monitored and reviewed.
- Risks to patients were assessed and well managed.
- We found that completed clinical audits cycles were driving positive outcomes for patients.
- Staff assessed patients’ needs and delivered care in line with current evidence based guidance. Staff had 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 were available and easy to understand.
- Patients said they found it easy to make an appointment with a named GP, 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.
The areas where the provider should make improvements are:
- Review and improve the systems in place to effectively monitor vaccine fridge temperatures readings.
- Review and improve the systems in place to effectively monitor outcomes of diabetic patients.
- Review and improve the system in place to promote the benefits of cervical, bowel and breast screening in order to increase patient uptake.
- Ensure that within response to complaints patients are given the necessary information of the complainant’s right to escalate the complaint to the Ombudsman if dissatisfied with the response.
Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP)
Chief Inspector of General Practice