Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at West Timperley Medical Practice on 19 November 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. There was an open and transparent approach to safety and opportunities for learning were maximised within the practice.

• Risks to patients were assessed and well managed and we saw evidence that actions were taken when things went wrong.
• Staff assessed patients’ needs and delivered care in line with current evidence based guidance.
• Staff had 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.
• Patients spoke highly of the practice, the staff and the service. Negative comments received related to some difficulties obtaining an appointment, or waiting a long time once they arrived at the surgery. All patients said they could see a named GP and that there was continuity of care, with urgent appointments available the same day.
• The practice was very responsive and adjusted their services to fit in with patient needs.
• 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.
• A member of staff told us the practice reflected the aims of the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) to see patients in the right place at the right time by the right person. The practice used this motto to design their services, including recruitment, and to achieve the best possible outcomes for the patients.

We saw some areas of outstanding practice :

• There was a culture of openness and teamwork within the practice which was described by all the staff we spoke to and evidenced in positive outcomes for patients.

• All staff reported that they felt supported by, and were able to be supportive to their colleagues; they all said they were encouraged to discuss patient and staff comments or concerns and knew the lines of escalation. We saw examples where positive outcomes for patients and staff had been achieved.

• We saw pro-active searches of patient data and a clinical audit programme which ensured action was taken when mistakes were made. The practice took robust steps to prevent missed diagnoses and to ensure the needs of patients were met.

• We observed a strong patient-centred culture and found many positive examples to demonstrate how patient’s choices and preferences were valued and acted on.

However we also saw areas where the practice should make improvements :

• We saw that prescription pads although locked away, were not logged in and out when they were used. The practice should have a system to keep track of prescriptions which were written and/or removed from the premises such as in the event of home visits.

• We were given several examples, from both patients and staff, of positive significant events which had not been recorded and formally discussed. Recording, sharing and discussing positive events as well as negative ones would enable the practice to enhance the good services they provided

The practice should undertake legionella testing and change the disposable curtains on an annual basis.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

We reviewed the information available to us about West Timperley Medical Centre on 9 April 2019. We did not find evidence of significant changes to the quality of service being provided since the last inspection. As a result, we decided not to inspect the surgery at this time. We will continue to monitor this information about this service throughout the year and may inspect the surgery when we see evidence of potential changes.