This practice is rated as Good overall. (Previous rating January 2016 – Good)
The key questions at this inspection are rated as:
Are services safe? – Requires Improvement
Are services effective? – Good
Are services caring? – Outstanding
Are services responsive? – Good
Are services well-led? - Good
We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at St Stephen’s Gate Medical Practice on 25 October 2018 as part of our inspection programme.
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.
- The practice routinely 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 could access care when they needed it.
- There was a focus on continuous learning and improvement at all levels of the organisation.
We rated the practice as outstanding for caring services because:
- The practice had created a strong, visible patient-centred culture, demonstrated and valued by staff and supported by leaders. People valued their relationships with the staff team and felt that they often go ‘the extra mile’ for them when providing care and support. This culture was reflected in consistently, significantly higher than local and national average GP patient survey data and other patient feedback. For example, 100% of respondents to the GP patient survey in 2018 stated that the last time they had a general practice appointment, the healthcare professional was good or very good at listening to them.
The areas where the provider must make improvements as they are in breach of regulations are:
- Establish and operate effectively systems and processes to ensure good governance.
The areas where the provider should make improvements are:
- Review and improve systems for reviewing and recording external safety alerts.
Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP
Chief Inspector of General Practice
Please refer to the detailed report and the evidence tables for further information.