Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Homestead Medical Centre on 9 August 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 and an effective system in place for reporting and recording significant events.
• 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.
• Patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and they were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment.
• 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.
• Patients said they found it easy to make an appointment with a GP and there was continuity of care, with urgent appointments available the same day.
• The practice had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs.
• 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 provider was aware of and complied with the requirements of the duty of candour.

  
  

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Homestead is a purpose built GP surgery. The practice operates a weekday and Saturday morning service for over 6000 patients in the Wakefield area. The practice is responsible for providing primary care, and is registered to provide the regulated activies; diagnostic and screening procedures, family planning, maternity and midwifery services, surgical procedures and treatment of disease, disorder or injury.

The practice is open from 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. weekdays and 8 a.m. – 11 a.m. on Saturdays. A range of appointments are available, including telephone consultations and people are able to book these in person, over the phone or on-line.

Patients can dial 111 for telephone advice and if necessary can then be seen at Trinity Medical Centre.

Patients can also access the services at the Walk In Centre at King Street Health Centre which is open 7 days a week from 8a.m. – 8 p.m.

The patients we spoke with and who completed CQC comment cards were extremely complimentary about the care and treatment being provided. Patients reported that all the staff treated them with dignity and respect.

We found that the provider listens to patient comments and takes action to improve their service.

The building was well-maintained and clean and tidy. However there were areas of infection control practice and stock control which required improvement.

Effective systems were in place for the oversight of medication. Clinical decisions followed best practice guidelines.

We found that the leadership team was very visible. There were good governance and risk management measures in place. However there were some areas of significant event and incident recording which required improvement.

We also looked at how well services are provided for specific groups of people and what good care looks like for them. We found that the practice actively monitored patients. We saw that they made arrangements for older patients and patients who have long term health conditions to be regularly reviewed and to attend the practice for routine checks. We found that appointments provided flexibility for patients who were working and for children under the age of five years. Specific arrangements were in place to meet the needs of vulnerable patients, such as provision of a translation service.