Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

This practice is rated as Good overall. (Previous inspection 27 July 2015– Good)

The key questions are rated as:

Are services safe? – Good

Are services effective? – Good

Are services caring? – Good

Are services responsive? – Good

Are services well-led? - Good

As part of our inspection process, we also look at the quality of care for specific population groups. The population groups are rated as:

Older People – Good

People with long-term conditions – Good

Families, children and young people – Good

Working age people (including those recently retired and students – Good

People whose circumstances may make them vulnerable – Good

People experiencing poor mental health (including people with dementia) - Good

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Rawson Road on 12 February as part of our routine inspection programme.

At this inspection we found:

• The practice is one of several practices in the North West managed by SSP Health GPMS Ltd. The organisation supports practices with managerial tasks to allow individual practices to focus on patient care.
• There were systems for reviewing and investigating when things went wrong. The practice learned and shared lessons, identified themes and took action to improve safety in the practice.

• Staff were aware of current evidence based guidance. Staff had been trained to provide them with the skills and knowledge to deliver effective care and treatment.
• Care Quality Commission (CQC) comment cards reviewed were on the whole very positive and that patients thought staff were very helpful. Comments indicated that patients were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment.
• Information about services and how to complain was available. Improvements were made to the quality of care as a result of complaints and concerns.
• Results from the national GP patient survey from July 2017 showed that patients' satisfaction with how they could access care and treatment was higher compared with local and national averages but not necessarily with a named GP of their choice. Urgent appointments were available the same day.
• 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 the requirements of the duty of candour.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice