Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Edge Hill Health Centre on 21 September 2016. Overall the practice is rated as good.

• Openness and transparency about safety was encouraged. Staff understood and fulfilled their responsibilities to raise concerns and report incidents and near misses and they were fully supported when they did so. Monitoring and reviewing activities enabled staff to understand risks and gave a clear, accurate and current picture of safety. Lessons were learned and communicated widely to support improvement.

• Safeguarding vulnerable adults, children and young people was given sufficient priority. Staff took a proactive approach to safeguarding and focus on early identification. They took steps to prevent abuse from occurring, responded appropriately to any signs or allegations of abuse and worked effectively with others to implement protection plans.

• Staffing levels and skill mix were planned, implemented and reviewed to keep people safe at all times. Any staff shortages were responded to quickly and adequately.

• Patients had good outcomes because they received effective care and treatment that met their needs. Patients care and treatment was planned and delivered in line with current evidence based guidance, standards, best practice and legislation. This included during assessment, diagnosis, when people were referred to other services and when managing people’s chronic or long-term conditions, including for people in the last 12 months of their life.

• Staff were qualified and had the skills they needed to carry out their roles effectively and in line with best practice. The learning needs of staff were identified and training was put in place to meet these learning needs. Staff were supported to maintain and further develop their professional skills and experience.

• Patients were positive about the care and treatment they received from the practice. The National GP Patient Survey July 2016 showed that patients’ responses about whether they were treated with respect, compassion and involved in decisions about their care and treatment were overall comparable to local and national averages.

• Complaints and concerns were taken seriously, responded to in a timely way and listened to. Improvements were made to the quality of care as a result of complaints and concerns.

• There were systems in place to monitor and improve quality and identify risk.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Patients we spoke with told us that staff had been friendly and helpful. Comments included; "Everything is fine I get on well with the doctor, I'd give the doctors 9 out of 10." Another person said; "They talk everything through with me."

Some patients told us that it was sometimes hard to get an appointment at the practice, especially if they needed a specific appointment time slot.

The practice had up to date child and adult protection policies and procedures in place. This information included contact details for staff to raise concerns with the appropriate agencies.

We saw records were kept of adverse events, accidents or incidents including actions taken. The practice completed audits/reports following significant events or receiving complaints, in order to learn and make improvements as required.