10 March 2016
During a routine inspection
Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice
We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Saltley Centre For Health Care on 10 March 2016. Overall the practice is rated as good.
Our key findings across all the areas we inspected were as follows:
- Staff we spoke with understood and fulfilled their responsibilities to raise concerns and report incidents and near misses. We saw evidence to demonstrate that learning was shared amongst staff.
- Risks to patients were assessed and well managed. Risks linked to infection control which related specifically to the practice premises had been identified at a recent infection control audit and the practice had suspended minor surgery as a result. However, we found that despite attempts by the practice to make relevant improvements to the practice premises in order to improve infection control, they had been unable to do so due to strict modification restrictions imposed by the building landlord.
- 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 we spoke with told us they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and they were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment. Patients commented that recent changes had led to improvements in the way they were treated.
- The practice had carried out clinical audits and repeat audits to improve and maintain patient outcomes.
- We saw evidence to demonstrate that the practice had carried out a comprehensive analysis of its patient population profile and developed targeted services and made changes to the way it delivered services as a consequence. For example by offering more in-house services such as diabetes care or 24 blood pressure monitoring.
- Patients said they found it easy to make an appointment with a named GP and that there was continuity of care, with urgent appointments available the same day. Patients also commented that access had improved in recent months.
However, there were areas of practice where the provider should make improvements:
- Consider how the practice could proactively support and identify carers to improve outcomes.
- Consider the promotion of national screening programmes to improve uptake.
- Promote and encourage membership of the patient participation group and work with them to identify areas for improvement.
Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP)
Chief Inspector of General Practice