GP practice staff praised by CQC for fixing patient’s radiator during home visit
Staff at a GP practice in Surrey has been praised by the CQC for fixing a patient’s radiator during a home visit.
The watchdog has rated the Mill Medical Practice in Godalming ‘outstanding’ for the second time following an inspection in November, citing a ‘sustained commitment to providing outstanding care’.
Their report said that staff visiting a patient at home ‘observed that the house was very cold’ and when they discovered the heating was not working properly, they bled the radiators and sorted the thermostat for the patient.
The CQC also said that the practice staff vaccinated 1,838 people ‘in a single morning by working closely as a team’, with separate children’s clinics where staff dressed as TV characters ‘to put young people at ease’.
The report said: ‘Staff we spoke with, and evidence seen during our inspection showed times when staff had provided additional care for patients.
‘This included a paramedic completing a home visit where it was observed that the house was very cold and there was a concern that the patient would be unable to remain in their own home.
‘The heating was put on for the patient, and they were also made a warm drink. The paramedic informed the GP who then organised a second visit from a paramedic later in the day.
‘On the second visit it was discovered the heating was not working properly. The staff member bled the radiators and sorted the thermostat for the patient who was then able to stay in their own home.’
It also pointed to another instance when during a home visit, ‘environmental and safety concerns were raised’ and with the patient’s consent, arrangements were made for a local plumber to attend the home and a referral was made to the Fire and Rescue Service.
‘The patient’s GP was also informed and liaised with the social prescribing link worker to explore additional community support,’ the report added.
The watchdog praised the practice for creating ‘step-by-step packs’ to help families complete neurodiversity referrals after recognising parents and carers ‘struggled to provide the right information’.
CQC deputy director of operations in Surrey Steven Paisley said that the practice also ‘stood out’ for its work supporting the wider community, and that other GP practices ‘should look to this report to see if there’s anything to learn from it’.
He said: ‘Staff built relationships with local groups to improve uptake of screening programmes and developed innovative approaches like take-home packs to help families navigate neurodiversity referrals.
‘Survey results reflect this commitment as over 80% of people described their overall experience as good or very good, compared to the national average of 75%. We’re pleased to see The Mill Medical Practice maintaining such high standards. Leaders and staff at The Mill Medical Practice should be very proud of the findings of this report.’
In October the CQC said it will review its IT systems in an effort to speed up inspection times. The proposal comes as part of a public consultation launched by the watchdog on improving how it assesses providers, including GP practices.
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READERS' COMMENTS [18]
Please note, only GPs are permitted to add comments to articles
I’ll put basic plumbing on my PDP
It could go either way. Too risky these days to do anything you are not trained for.
And the point of this article is what exactly? Is anyone actually interested that this act impressed the CQC?
i’ll carry a monkey wrench in my bag from now on – and will inform the cqc and the police its for plumbing purposes
Is it bad i enjoyed the comments more than the article?
Did they go home to get a bleed key? Did they use a flat head screwdriver on the turn? What sort of boiler was it that they let the pressure back up with? Some are levers and some are twist taps. I’ve put a few radiators on and off walls in my own house but I haven’t got that kit in my home visit bag. I’ve got a drill at the practice for bits and bobs like the soft close door hinges but no radiator bleed key. I did change the batteries in a smoke alarm for a patient once on a home visit but we’ve all done that haven’t we? Maybe I’ll start telling the patients I’ve bled the radiators – would they know?!
Happy to start cutting patients toenails
Dear Truth Finder – I think an update is needed.
I am trained to do Newborn Baby Examinations, but I am no longer allowed to do them, as I do not have a recent recertification!
Annual recertification is now, apparently, more important than haveing been trained.
NHS is so sad.
Getting praise from the CQC would worry me———— it’s like a demon saying “well done”
I’m also guilty of smoke alarm battery change to stop the beeping, albeit it probably was best received by the surrounding flats than the patient with high frequency hearing loss.
Our diy skills start in hospital training. I used to have to move the bedside light bulb from patient to patient as only 1 out of 6 bulbs in a bay worked on night shifts, for 7 nights in a row!
You forgot to mention the patient was King Charles – at freezing Bucks Palace – sitting in front of his mum’s 2-bar electric heater. No wonder the practice got “outstanding”!!
(sorry, your majesty, please don’t send the boys round to chop my head off…it’s just a joke…)
Our boiler is playing up…. I think I’ll get a quote from them….
Here in Canada we have something called community. Failing that it’s a plumber. Viva Canada.
It is a good gesture. But not something cqc takes in to consideration for rating. Patient access and safety should be main criteria
This is exactly the stuff we should not be doing. Those doing it are throwing the rest of us under the boss for doing the correct thing, ie doing a proper job we were trained for, indemified for and able to do. If we all did this, the other services around us would stop providing it and it would be for the GP to solve plumbing, heating, gas, electric , car, food delivery, laundry and toilet clearning services. JUST SAY NO FLYING WAY
Local plumber has been praised by the regulator WRAS for attending a client during an emergency’ after their boiler packed up.
He discovered the patient was awaiting a coronary artery bypass operation so he popped in a few grafts while he was there. Jobs a goodun
Adjusting the thermostat and bleeding radiators isn’t outside the scope of most home owners. Dealing with the boiler is a whole different ball game and requires Corgi registration if a gas boiler and probably similar for electric or oil. Fiddling with that could result in death, yours and or the patient, and a probable visit to the MPTS should you survive. I have in my time adjusted a thermostat unknowingly set at 10C and made a cup of tea. It’s humanity so let’s not make a big thing of this and while we’re at it get rid of the CQC.
what??? is it 1st April?
how much time do these health professionals have that they can indulge in a bit of amateur plumbing on the side?
Did they nip out and do a bit of shopping for the patient too ? Perhaps a spot of spring cleaning?