We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Wellspring Medical Practice on 12 December 2018 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 good overall and good for all population groups.

We found that:

• The practice provided care in a way that kept patients safe and protected them from avoidable harm.
• Patients received effective care and treatment that met their needs.
• 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 way the practice was led and managed promoted the delivery of high-quality, person-centred care.
• There was a strong focus on continuous learning and improvement at all levels of the organisation.

We saw some areas of outstanding practice including:

• The practice had recently introduced a Health e-zone; two tablets had been installed in a quiet area of the waiting room where patients could access advice including on mental health and young people’s health issues. Patients could book a time slot to use the devices which provided guidance on self-care, supporting tools and links to other organisations.

• A ‘Surgery POD’ was available for patients to use in the waiting room. This enabled patients to measure their own vital signs, including weight and blood pressure, and to answer a number of clinical questionnaires via a touch screen device. Staff told us this was used by many patients who may not have usually had such health checks. During the day of our inspection we saw this was used by several patients.

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

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Wellspring Medical Practice on 10 March 2015. Overall, the practice is rated as good.

Our key findings across all the areas we inspected were as follows:

• Staff understood and fulfilled their responsibilities to raise concerns, and report incidents and near misses. Information about safety was appropriately recorded and reviewed;
• Risks to patients were assessed and well managed;
• The practice was clean, hygienic and good infection control arrangements were in place;
• Patients’ needs were assessed and care was planned and delivered following best practice guidance.
• Patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and that they were involved in decisions about their care and treatment;
• Information about the services provided and how to raise any concerns or complaints, was accessible and easy to understand;
• Patients said they found it easy to make an appointment and urgent same-day access was available;
• 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 actively sought feedback from patients.

We saw some areas of outstanding practice including:

• One nurse had been awarded a Queen’s Nursing Institute (QNI) bursary award in recognition of new methods used to deliver better care for more than 700 patients with cardiovascular disease.
• The latest GP Patient Survey completed in 2013/14 showed almost all patients were very satisfied with the services the practice offered. The proportion of patients who would recommend this practice was 92%, which exceeded the national average of 78%. Similarly, 100% of respondents said the last nurse they saw or spoke to was good at explaining tests and treatments.

However, there were also areas of practice where the provider needs to make improvements.

The provider should:

• review their approach to managing the risk of legionella in their water systems to ensure there is a written risk assessment in place to support them in identifying and managing the associated risks.
• have either a supply of oxygen on the premises or a documented risk assessment to demonstrate why this was not required.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice