Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Nuffield Road Medical Centre

on 17 March 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 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.
• Patients said they found it easy to make an appointment with a named GP and that 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.

We saw one area of outstanding practice:

• The practice protected children and families in a way that supported the best outcomes for these patients. A strong partnership approach, appropriate and swift information sharing, alongside meticulous minute taking, ensured that safeguarding issues were both highlighted and followed up. Additional support was made available for families and concerns shared more widely as necessary. There was a strong focus on considering issues relating to domestic violence and substance abuse. The pro-active and responsive management of safeguarding concerns has led to the effective and timely mitigation of risks to children and their families.

The areas where the provider should make improvement are;

Ensure all members of staff are aware of where emergency equipment and medicines are located. 

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Nuffield Road Medical Centre provides primary medical services to patients in Cambridge City and the villages of Histon, Impington and Milton. The practice is led by nine general practitioners (GPs) and one managing partner who from the partnership management team. One of the partners is the registered provider of services at the practice.

We spoke with patients during our inspection, who were complimentary about the services they had received from the practice. We also received two comments from patients who had completed comment cards prior to our inspection. Both comments were positive. Patients told us that the practice was accessible and met their needs.

Nuffield Road Medical Centre had been proactive in supporting patients to adopt a healthy lifestyle in order to maintain good mental and physical health. This included referrals to local weight loss schemes, smoking cessation support and nurse led advice for better management of long term conditions. The practice had also set up a walking group with the aim of supporting patients to become more active in a social outdoor environment.

The practice had ensured that patients received the care that met their individual needs by means of effective assessment and treatment.  Clinical audit cycles had been successfully adopted to deliver improved outcomes for patients. Staff had delivered care in a respectful way which took into account the holistic needs of the individual. The practice understood the needs of the population it served and had taken steps to make their service accessible to vulnerable groups. The partnership had fostered a culture of openness and transparency where learning could flourish. Patients fed back that they appreciated the standard of service available to them.