- GP practice
Birchwood Medical Practice
All Inspections
23 September 2015
During a routine inspection
Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice
We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Birchwood Medical Practice on 23 September 2015. Specifically, we found the practice to be good for providing safe, well led, effective, caring and responsive services. It was also rated as good for providing services for all of the population groups.
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. Information about safety was recorded, monitored, appropriately reviewed and addressed.
- Risks to patients were assessed and well managed.
- Patients’ needs were assessed and care was planned and delivered following best practice guidance. Staff had received training appropriate to their roles and any further training needs had been identified and planned.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP)
Chief Inspector of General Practice
During a check to make sure that the improvements required had been made
We also found people were not protected from the risk of infection because appropriate guidance had not been followed. This was because there was a lack of auditing in respect of infection control and training for staff. We also raised environmental concerns about the treatment room which were an infection control risk.
We read the provider had some systems to assess and monitor the quality of service people received. However, this did not include seeking the views of people who used the service or an overview of complaints, incidents or training of staff.
We ask the provider to submit the evidence, as reflected in their action plan, to indicate the service had put systems in place and taken action to address the areas of non- compliance. From the documentation provided and discussion with the practice manager we are satisfied the service is now compliant.
22 October 2013
During a routine inspection
We spent time with the practice manager, the registered managers, reception staff, practice nurses and patients to ascertain what it was like to use the service and examined records and systems that were in place to support people that used the service.
We spoke with four people at the surgery. Three people told us 'it is alright here' with two people stating that 'sometimes appointment times run late'. Another person told us 'I am never rushed when I speak with my GP; they listen and advise me on my medical condition. They also referred me to a specialist including a dietician. I am happy with the service I receive and always manage to get an appointment when I want'.
Staff told us they were responsible for their own training needs and had completed safeguarding children training.
During our inspection we found the provider did not have suitable systems in place to monitor the quality of the service that was provided, as the views of the patients were not captured regularly. This meant people's views did not inform service improvements.