This practice is rated as good overall. (Previous inspection – 7 February 2017 – rating – requires improvement).
The key questions are rated as:
Are services safe? – Good
Are services effective? – Good
Are services caring? – Good
Are services responsive? – Requires improvement
Are services well-led? - Good
We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Ponteland Medical Group on 3 July 2018, to check that the provider had addressed the areas of concern we identified at our previous inspection in February 2017.
At this inspection we found:
- The practice had clear systems 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.
- Staff had the skills, knowledge and experience to carry out their roles.
- The practice routinely reviewed the effectiveness and appropriateness of the care and treatment they provided. Staff ensured that care and treatment was delivered in line with evidence-based guidelines.
- The practice organised and delivered services to meet patients’ needs. They took account of patient needs and preferences.
- Following our last inspection, leaders had taken action to improve telephone access and access to appointments. Although there was evidence this had increased levels of patient satisfaction, patients told us further improvements were still needed. Leaders recognised they needed to sustain this improvement to continue increasing patient satisfaction levels.
- There was a very strong focus on continuous learning and improvement at all levels of the organisation.
- Staff involved patients in decisions about their care and treatment and treated them with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.
- The practice had a clear vision to deliver high quality care and promote good outcomes for patients.
- Governance processes and systems for business planning, risk management, performance and quality improvement operated effectively.
We also saw an area of outstanding practice:
- The provider operated a closed Facebook group to deliver educational sessions, to help promote staff learning and skills development. These were live stream sessions to which all of the provider’s clinical staff were invited. These sessions covered a range of topics such as: managing diabetes for patients with end-of-life needs; improving referrals management; the use of a haematology ‘app’ (this session was led by a consultant doctor); the development of a scoring tool to promote better antibiotic prescribing.
The areas where the provider should make improvements are:
- Where the practice’s exception reporting rates are higher than the local clinical commissioning group and England averages, take action to reduce them.
- Continue to monitor, review and address patients’ concerns about the difficulties they experience accessing the practice by telephone and obtaining a suitable appointment.
- Continue to involve and consult the practice’s patient participation group about proposed changes and planned improvements.
- Review the content of the practice’s website to make sure it includes relevant and useful information for patients and is kept up-to-date.
Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP
Chief Inspector of General Practice