This practice is rated as Good overall.

(Previous inspection 23/11/2016 – 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 living with dementia) - Good

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Tramways Medical Centre on 7 March 2018 as part of our inspection programme.

At this inspection we found:

• The practice had systems in place to manage risk so that safety incidents were less likely to happen. When incidents did happen, the practice learned from them and improved their processes.

• The practice reviewed the effectiveness and appropriateness of the care it provided. It ensured that care and treatment was delivered according to evidence- based guidelines.

• Staff involved and treated patients with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.

• Patients found the appointment system easy to use and reported that they were able to access care when they needed it.

• There was a focus on continuous learning and improvement across the organisation.

We saw areas of outstanding practice:

• The practice were able to offer improved support for patients with mental health needs through a local initiative called ‘Zest’. This organisation provides a range of low level interventions to support patients with mental health needs such as anxiety disorders and offer treatment to support their welfare.

• The practice offered increased support for patients and their families living with dementia through joint working which included home visiting with the local Consultant Psychiatrist.

• The practice had an IAPT (Improving Access to Psychological Therapy) worker in-house to give advice and also had on-line and group sessions availableto support patients.

Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Tramways Medical Centre - O'Connell on 23 November 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.
• The practice had clearly defined and embedded systems, processes and practices in place to keep patients safe and safeguarded from abuse.
• Risks to patients were assessed and mostly well managed.
• 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.
• 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.
• Patients said they found it easy to make an appointment with a named GP and 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.

The areas where the provider should make improvement are:

• The practice should review it carer identification process to ensure that all patients who act as carers are identified.
• Review national GP patient survey results to establish why patient’s satisfaction with telephone access was lower than national averages.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice