Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Gresleydale Healthcare Centre on 27 July 2016. 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 within the practice. Effective systems were in place to report, record and learn from significant events. Learning was shared with staff and external stakeholders where appropriate.
• Risks to patients were assessed and well managed.
• Staff assessed patients’ needs and delivered care in line with current evidence based guidance.
• Outcomes for patients were generally above or in line with local and national averages. For example, the practice performance for cervical screening was above the local and national average.
• Training was provided for staff which equipped them with the skills, knowledge and experience to deliver effective care and treatment.
• Patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and they were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment.
• Patients told us they were able to get an appointment with a GP when they needed one, with urgent appointments available on the same day.
• 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 and learning from complaints was shared with staff and stakeholders.
• The practice had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs. Services were designed to meet the needs of patients.
• There was a clear leadership structure and staff felt supported by management. The practice proactively sought feedback from staff and patients, which it acted on.
• The practice had an active patient participation group (PPG) who worked in partnership with the practice team to aid the practice to develop and improve.

We saw several areas of outstanding practice:

• The practice had identified that they had a higher than average number of young children registered with the practice, especially those under five years. In response to falling immunisation uptake figures, the practice set up Gresleydale Tots Clinic. This evolved into a drop in session for babies and parents for peer support, self-weighing and access to immunisation services. The service was run weekly and was supported by the health visiting service. Immunisation uptake for the last quarter showed that the practice achievement for all immunisations ranged from 95% to 100%.
• The practice provided and facilitated a range of services to support patients. These included hosting weekly walking groups and providing chair based exercise classes which were well attended.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

We spoke with six patients and seven members of staff during our visit. Patients told us they were satisfied with the care and treatment they received.

We saw that patients' views and experiences were taken into account in the way the service was provided and that they were treated with dignity and respect. Comments about the service included “Terrific as far as I am concerned” and “Was very good, and I have no complaints.” Two patients told us that when they had been referred for specialist care, they had been able to choose which hospital they wanted to attend.

Staff had received training in safeguarding children, but not for vulnerable adults. However, they were aware of the appropriate agencies to refer safeguarding concerns to that ensured patients were protected from harm.

The provider had systems in place to reduce the risk and spread of infection. The premises were clean and tidy and patients and staff had good access to hand washing facilities and antibacterial gels.

The provider had systems in place for monitoring the quality of service provision. There was an established system for regularly obtaining opinions from patients about the standards of the services they received. This meant that on-going improvements could be made by the practice staff.