Success at Chieveley surgeries’ first ever inspection

Downland Practice given "good" grade by CQC

A Chieveley surgery is celebrating after receiving a glowing report in its first ever inspection by health regulator the Care Quality Commission.

The December inspection at the Downland Practice found the surgery was “good” overall and also noted that its responsive services towards people’s needs was “outstanding”.

In the inspection report, chief inspector of general practice Professor Steve Field noted: “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.

“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 was provided to help patients understand the care available to them.

“The practice implemented suggestions for improvements and made changes to the way it delivered services as a consequence of feedback from patients and from the Patient Participation Group (PPG).

“The practice had an effective governance system in place, was well organised and actively sought to learn from performance data, incidents and feedback.”

The inspection also found instances of “outstanding” practice and inspectors praised the use of its ultra-sound scanning service which is used around 300 times each year by the wider community.

Recent notable diagnoses according to the inspection and following use of the ultrasound has included three cases of testicular cancer, a threatening critical abdominal aortic aneurysm and 13 pregnant women have avoided hospital admission following first trimester pregnancy scans.

Praising the service, Professor Field added: “This resulted in patients receiving scans at a more convenient location than travelling to hospital, often a shorter waiting time and one expectant mother told us the early pregnancy scans provided reassurance and continuity of care.”

The practice was also applauded for its provision of services for specialist schools for pupils with autism, moderate to severe learning difficulties and complex needs, and has a specific designated GP point of contact for one local specialist school – serving around 68 patients.

Following publication of the report a spokesperson for the practice said that it was “delighted” with the result.

The spokesperson said: “We have always been, and strive to continue to be, a very forward-thinking practice, and we will aim to maintain these high standards into the future.

“We all work together, sharing ideas and information to ensure that the patients in our area receive the best care possible.”