We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Horton Bank Practice on 20 March 2019, as part of our inspection programme. The practice was previously inspected by the Care Quality Commission in February 2015, and received a rating of good overall.

Our judgement of the quality of care at this service is based on a combination of what we found when we inspected, information from our ongoing monitoring of data about services and information from the provider, patients, the public and other organisations.

We have rated this practice as good overall.

We concluded that:

• Systems were in place to report, record and learn from significant incidents.
• Staff told us they felt supported by the leadership team. We heard of examples where staff had been encouraged to develop in their role.
• Patient feedback was positive in relation to the care and treatment they received at the practice. However, some patients told us they found the waiting time for their appointment in the same day assessment clinic frustrating.
• There was a proactive patient participation group who supported the practice in developing and delivering services; including efforts to help combat social isolation and loneliness. For example, through a local walking group.

The areas where the provider should make improvements are:

• Review and improve the approach to infection prevention and control to be assured that risks are suitably assessed and acted upon.
• Review and improve the approach to identifying carers from the practice population and identify to how best act on their needs.
• Review and improve the approach to complaints to ensure that verbal complaints are recorded, all complaints are acknowledged within statutory timescales and that written responses address all issues of complaint.

Details of our findings and the evidence supporting our ratings are set out in the evidence tables.

Dr Rosie Benneyworth BM BS BMedSci MRCGP

Chief Inspector of Primary Medical Services and Integrated Care

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Horton Bank Practice on 11 February 2015. Overall the practice is rated as good.

Specifically, we found the practice to be good for providing effective, caring, responsive and well-led services. It was also good for providing services for all the population groups

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

• Staff understood and fulfilled their responsibilities to raise concerns, to report incidents and near misses. Information about safety was recorded, however, clear audit trails in respect of significant events and complaints were not in place.
• Risks to patients were assessed and well managed.
• Patients’ needs were assessed and care was planned and delivered following best practice guidance. Staff had received training appropriate to their roles and any further training needs had been identified and planned.
• 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.
• Urgent appointments were usually available on the day they were requested.
• 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 practice had a number of policies and procedures in place and held regular governance meetings.

We saw an area of outstanding practice:

• The practice provided GP appointments from 7.30 am every week day.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice