We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Leigh Sports Village Practice on 12 September 2019 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.
We rated the practice as outstanding for providing well-led services because:
- Staff told us the practice management team and the SSP leadership team were inspirational, progressive, cohesive and innovative with a mature approach and clear purpose. The practice management team were compassionate and caring. Quality and integrity were at the heart of what they did resulting in an exceptional caring culture within a strong practice. Opportunities provided for staff development were exemplary.
- The leadership, governance and culture were used to drive and improve the delivery of high-quality person-centred care.
- There was strong collaboration across all staff and a common focus on engaging with patients and other services to improve quality of care and the patient experience.
- The practice embraced social prescribing for the community to ensure patients received timely intervention when they needed it most, signposted them to services that could help them and ensured support was offered locally so the patient population could easily attend appointments.
We have rated this practice as good for providing safe, effective, caring and responsive services because:
- Outcomes for people who use services are consistently better than expected when compared with other similar services.
- There was a holistic approach to assessing, planning and delivering care and treatment to patients.
- The safe use of innovative approaches to care and how it was delivered were actively encouraged. The provider was proactive in the implementation of innovative approaches to support and develop staff to provide effective care and treatment.
- Feedback from patients was consistently positive.
- There was a strong person-centred culture.
- Patients were truly respected and valued as individuals and were empowered as partners in their care.
- The practice provided care in a way that kept patients safe and protected them from avoidable harm.
- The practice organised and delivered services to meet patients’ needs. Patients could access care and treatment in a timely way.
We saw areas of outstanding practice:
- The practice held a carers’ afternoon tea which included inviting health professionals including the carers centre, community link worker, healthy routes, health first and breast cancer screening. They also offered patients an inspired lunch and the opportunity to undergo some relaxation techniques.
- The practice held a stock of the Affordable Warmth Access Referral Mechanism (AWARM) kits in surgery so that clinicians or staff on identifying patients that may be at risk of fuel poverty can give out an AWARM kits. They were provided with 15 kits and 13 were given out to patients who they felt were at risk of fuel poverty. Staff were trained to identify patients at risk and how to refer into the AWARM service.
- Practice champions who were members of the administrative team, for example palliative care and carers’ champions, were trained to safeguarding vulnerable adults and children level three. This enabled champions to have a better understanding of the needs and vulnerabilities of some patients. They were familiar with these patients and trained to recognise any concerns. For example, the cancer champion contacted all newly diagnosed patients to ensure the patient had the systems, processes and support in place for their follow up treatment and medication.
Details of our findings and the evidence supporting our ratings are set out in the evidence tables.
Dr Rosie Benneyworth BM BS BMedSci MRCGP
Chief Inspector of Primary Medical Services and Integrated Care