The Constable Country Medical Practice

The Constable Country Medical Practice Partners Salaried GPs Heath Road 36 The Street Dr F K Ayache Dr C Rufford East Bergholt Capel St Mary Dr A Omar Colchester Ipswich Dr C Tetteh CO7 6RT IP9 2EE Dr A Olowu Tel: 01206 298272 Tel: 01473 310203 Dr V Okpiabhele Fax: 01206 299010 Fax: 01473 311722

To all patients of the Constable Country Medial Practice

Dear patients,

We are writing to tell you that the practice was inspected by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in March 2015 and has been rated as ‘inadequate’ in three areas (‘safe’, ‘effective’ and ‘well-led’). The inspectors were concerned that there might be a risk to patient safety because of how we process clinical information. We would like to assure you that there was no evidence that any harm occurred to any patient. Inspectors also wanted to see how we identified and learned from potential risks to patient safety which have happened nationally or in the practice. The CQC report is publically available on its website at www.cqc.org.uk.

We want you to know that the doctors, management and all staff at the practice are fully committed to addressing the issues raised. We reacted straight away to make immediate changes to address concerns about any potential risk to patient safety.

The CQC inspectors did praise the staff at the practice, particularly the reception and data administration teams. Positive feedback from medical students and GP trainees regarding the organisation of teaching and support of GPs and other practice staff was recognised. The CQC also saw progress in improving patient access to clinicians since we have started using the new phone system, revised the appointment system, restructured the reception team and recruited a full complement of staff.

Additionally, the practice achieved a very high score (97.3%) against the national Quality Outcomes Framework (QOF), which indicates the care provided to patients who need on- going care. The practice achieved one of the best results in Suffolk for reducing the number of patients attending A&E and emergency admissions for over 75s, which means more people are getting the care they need closer to their homes. The practice’s performance on prescribing is comparable to similar practices and our patient referral rates are in line with national rates.

Clearly we are very disappointed to have received this CQC rating. We are going through a transition with two doctors having left, one at the end of December 2014 and one at the end of February 2015. However, we now have five full-time GP partners and one salaried GP, two nurse practitioners, one minor illness trained nurse, three practice nurses and two healthcare assistants. With the support of the management team, we are in a great position to better care for you when you need us. We have already worked out what we are going to do about the issues raised by the CQC report and have implemented changes to address their most serious concerns. The NHS Ipswich and East Suffolk Clinical Commissioning Group, of which we are a member, and Royal College of General Practitioners will fully support us.

We are sure you are aware that GP practices nationwide are under immense pressure as there is more demand on services. We ask for your understanding and support over the coming months while we put the necessary changes in place.

We will be holding a drop in information evening on Monday 1st June between the hours of 7pm-9pm at the East Bergholt Medical Centre. The doctors and management team will talk about our plans, and our progress against them. We also want to find out what you think and will be asking you for your ideas. Please inform the reception team if you will be attending the meeting (please phone after 2pm). If you are unable to attend then we would be pleased to receive your ideas via our web site at www.constablecountrymedicalpractice.co.uk.

If you feel you could give more of your time, we are recruiting to our new Patient Participation Group. We are looking for a broad section of our practice population to work with us. You can find out more on 1st June, enquire via our website or ask our reception team.

For further information about the CQC report please contact the Ipswich and East Suffolk CCG’s Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) on 0800 389 6819.

Thank you for your time and we look forward to a brighter future.

Yours sincerely

Dr Ayache, Dr Omar, Dr Tetteh, Dr Olowu and Dr Okpiabhele