Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Ridge Green Medical Centre on 7 September 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.

• The practice had liaised with a health and safety expert to update and review all their health and safety processes and procedures and ensure they were updated, comprehensive but also concise and supported safe working practices.

• 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.
• The practice delivered regular training and development sessions for the clinical staff.
• 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.
• The practice had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs.
• There was a clear leadership structure and staff we spoke to told us felt supported by management. The practice proactively sought feedback from staff and patients, which it acted on.

We advised the practice they had an area where they should make improvements:

Continue to monitor the patient feedback and look to improve the service and experience for patients.

Improve the numbers of personalised completed care plans for patients with dementia and mental health conditions.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Ridge Green Medical Practice on 25 October 2018 as part of our inspection programme. Our inspection team was led by a CQC inspector and included specialist advisors in General Practice and practice management.

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.

This means that:

• Patients had good outcomes because they received effective care and treatment that met their needs.
• Patients were supported, treated with dignity and respect and were involved as partners in their care.
• People’s needs were met by the way in which services were organised and delivered.
• The leadership, governance and culture of the practice promoted the delivery of high quality person-centred care.

We found areas where the provider should make improvements. The provider should:

• Continue to identify carers to enable this group of patients to access the care and support they require.
• Continue to engage patients with asthma and diabetes, so that there is lower exception reporting and healthier outcomes for these health indicators
• Ensure documentary evidence of staff vaccinations.
• Continue to engage with staff through staff surveys and other means, to bring greater clarity to working arrangements and remove any inconsistencies.
• Ensure fire tests are undertaken on a regular and consistent basis.

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

Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP
Chief Inspector of General Practice