We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at OHP – Ridgacre House Surgery on 12 March 2019 as part of our inspection programme.

We based our judgement of the quality of care at this service 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 outstanding overall.

We rated the practice as outstanding for providing safe services because:

• The practice provided care in a way that kept patients safe and protected them from avoidable harm. One of the GP Partners was on the safeguarding board for Birmingham and this had influenced additional systems and process to be implemented. The practice was able to demonstrate an effective thorough process of ensuring safeguarding was a key part of patient safety.
• The practice had developed an incident report system which had been implemented by OHP across all member practices. The practice was also part of a national pilot due to the success of their processes. The processes ensured an accurate oversight of safety within the practice. There was an open culture in which all safety concerns raised were valued and integral to learning and improvement. We found learning from incidents was used significantly as an education tool.

We rated the practice as outstanding for the population group people whose circumstances make them vulnerable because:

• The practice had implemented a series of reviews to ensure guidelines were being adhered too. These were discussed as part of clinical meetings with the whole clinical team to promote learning.
• The practice continually reviewed the effectiveness of their services and had implemented a range of initiatives to support patients in the community and reduce hospital attendances.
• The practice leaders were innovative, implementing proactive methods to support best practice in the delivery of services. They shared with other local providers improvements that had been successful in supporting patient care.
• The practice held quarterly meetings with their local federation to look at what improvements could be made to the current service provision. One of the projects planned was to look at virtual clinics with secondary care consultants and social workers to discuss complex cases on a quarterly basis.

We rated the practice as outstanding for providing well-led services because:

• The culture of the practice and the way it was led and managed drove the delivery and improvement of high-quality, person-centred care.
• There was a strong emphasis on learning and sharing outcomes with the whole team and external organisations to promote best practice.
• All opportunities for learning from internal and external incidents were maximised. All learning was shared with staff regularly.
• There was effective leadership at all levels which supported innovation, implementation of processes and the continuous monitoring of patient care.
• There was continuous commitment to patients and external stakeholders to share information, ideas and improvements. This included supporting local practices with the delivery of services to ensure continuity of care for patients in the locality.

We rated the practice as good for providing effective, caring and responsive services because:

• Patients received care and treatment that met their needs. The practice completed regular audits to monitor patient outcomes and demonstrate quality improvements.
• Staff dealt with patients with kindness and respect and involved them in decisions about their care.
• The practice organised and delivered services to meet patients’ needs. Patients could access care and treatment in a timely way.
• The practice offered extended appointments to patients with dementia and mild cognitive impairment. A dedicated weekly GP led clinic was held with local support workers to ensure patients’ care was effectively coordinated and patients and their families were receiving appropriate support.
• The way the practice was led and managed promoted the delivery of high-quality, person centred care. Staff and patients we spoke with told us there was a strong patient centred culture.
• Services were tailored to meet the needs of individual patients. They were delivered in a flexible way that ensured choice and continuity of care.
• The practice had identified areas where there were gaps in provision locally and had taken steps to address them.

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