Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Bridge Street Medical Centre on 11 January 2017. Overall the practice is rated as good.

Our key findings across all the areas we inspected were as follows:

• There was an open and transparent approach to safety and an effective system in place for reporting and recording significant events.
• 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.

• Staff assessed patients’ needs and delivered care in line with current evidence based guidance. Staff had been trained to provide them with the skills, knowledge and experience to deliver effective care and treatment.
• Feedback from patients about their care was positive. Patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and they were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment. Data from the National GP Patient Survey published in July 2016 showed that patients rated the practice in line with, or above, others for most aspects of care.
• Information about services and how to complain was available and easy to understand. Improvements were made to the quality of care as a result of complaints and concerns.
• The practice had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs.
• Patients said there was continuity of care, with urgent appointments available the same day.
• There was a clear leadership structure and staff felt well supported by management.
• The provider was aware of and complied with the requirements of the duty of candour.

The areas where the provider should make improvements are:

• There was scope to improve the minutes of various team meetings to evidence improvement and shared learning.
• The practice should continue to promote the patient participation group and encourage feedback from patients.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Bridge Street Medical Practice offers a wide range of primary medical services from it's city centre location at 2 All Saints Passage, Cambridge.

Prior toour inspection we consulted with the local clinical commissioning group (CCG) and the NHS local area team about the practice. Neither of these organisations had any significant concerns.

We carried out an announced inspection on27 August 2014. During the inspection we spoke with patients and carers that used thepractice and met with members of the Patient Participation Group. The PPG is a group of patients who have volunteered to represent patients' views and concerns and are seen as an effective way for patients and GP surgeries to work together to improve services and to promote health and improved quality of care. We also reviewed comments cards that had been provided by CQC on which patients could record their views.

We found that the practice provided a safe, effective, caring, responsive and well led service. Patients we spoke with told us that they were treated with respect and their dignity was maintained.

Welooked at patient care across the following population groups: older people; those with long term medical conditions; mothers, babies, children and young people; working age people and those recently retired; people in vulnerable circumstances who may have poor access to primary care and people experiencing poor mental health. We found that the practice had in place a wide range of systems and services to ensure that appropriate care was available to patients in these groups.

Readers should beawarethat when referring to information throughout this report,this relates to the most recent information available to the CQC at that time.