Dr Maassarani and Partners

Updated 8 March 2024

Dr Maassarani and Partners is located in Liverpool at:

Towerhill Primary Care Resource Centre

Ebony Way

Kirkby

Liverpool

Merseyside

L33 1XT

The practice has a branch surgery at

Melling Surgery

82-84 Waddicar Lane

Melling

Liverpool

Merseyside

L31 1DY

The practice offers services from both a main practice and a branch surgery. Patients can access services at either surgery.

The provider is registered with CQC to deliver the Regulated Activities; diagnostic and screening procedures, maternity and midwifery services, family planning, surgical procedures and treatment of disease, disorder or injury.

The practice is situated within the Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care System (ICS) and delivers General Medical Services (GMS) to a patient population of about 16000. This is part of a contract held with NHS England.

Dr Maassarani and Partners is part of a larger federation, of practices called Primary Care Knowsley. This is a federation of 5 locations registered with CQC (comprising 11 practices) in the borough of Knowsley. The registered manager for this practice is also the registered manager for the 11 practices. Practice managers are in place at the practices. The registered manager is also assisted by three governance and quality support staff.

Information published by Office for Health Improvement and Disparities shows that deprivation within the practice population group is the lowest decile (one of 10). The lower the decile, the more deprived the practice population is relative to others.

According to the latest available data, the ethnic make-up of the practice area is 0.7% Asian, 96.5% White, 0.8% Black, 1.5% Mixed, and 0.5% Other.

The age distribution of the practice population closely mirrors the local and national averages.

There is a team of GPs who provide cover at both practices. The practice also has a team of nurses who provide nurse led clinics for long-term condition of use of both the main and the branch locations. The GPs are supported at the practice by a team of reception/administration staff. The interim operations manager provides managerial oversight of the practice and reports to the registered manager.

The main practice at Towerhill is open between 8 am to 8 pm Monday and Tuesday and 8am to 6.30pm on a Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. The branch practice at Melling is open 8am to 8pm Monday, 8am to 6.30pm Wednesday and Thursday and closed Tuesday and Friday. The practice offers a range of appointment types including book on the day, telephone consultations and advance appointments.

Extended access is provided locally by the practice on Monday and Tuesday evening. Out of hours services are provided by NHS 111.

Updated 8 March 2024

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

This practice is rated as Good overall. (Previous inspection February 2015 – Requires Improvement)

The key questions are rated as:

Are services safe? – Good

Are services effective? – Good

Are services caring? – Good

Are services responsive? – Outstanding

Are services well-led? - Good

As part of our inspection process, we also look at the quality of care for specific population groups. The population groups are rated as:

Older People – Good

People with long-term conditions – Good

Families, children and young people – Good

Working age people (including those recently retired and students – Good

People whose circumstances may make them vulnerable – Outstanding

People experiencing poor mental health (including people with dementia) - Outstanding

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Dr Maassarani and Partners on 10 January 2018. Overall the practice is rated as good.

Previously we carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Dr Maassarani and Partners on 03 February 2015. The overall rating for the practice was requires improvement. The practice was required improvement for safe and well-led services. Requirement notices were made as improvements were needed in the pre recruitment checks completed by the provider and quality of staff supervision and training. The full comprehensive report on the February 2015 inspection can be found by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Dr Maassarani and Partners on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

At this inspection we found:

• Systems in place to ensure staff recruitment was safe were established.
• Staff were aware of current evidence based guidance. Staff had been trained to provide them with the skills and knowledge to deliver effective care and treatment.
• There was an open and transparent approach to safety and a system in place for reporting and recording significant events.
• The practice had clearly defined and embedded systems to minimise risks to patient safety.
• Results from the national GP patient survey showed patients were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment.
• In response to the GP survey results the provider had put systems in place to review and monitor their processes in areas with a lower than average satisfaction rate.
• Information about services and how to complain was available. Improvements were made to the quality of care as a result of complaints and concerns.
• In the 2017 GP survey patients said they did not always get to see the GP of their choice, however patients we spoke with and who completed CQC comment cards told us they found it easy to make an appointment with a named GP and there was continuity of care, with urgent appointments available the same day.
• 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 the requirements of the duty of candour. Examples we reviewed showed the practice complied with these requirements.

We saw areas of outstanding practice:

• The practice was outstanding in the area of responsiveness to people in vulnerable circumstances. The practice accepted vulnerable migrants and had taken steps to employ staff from the migrant groups. Their role was to provide outreach into these communities to encourage a take up of health, social support and educational services.

• The practice recognised the impact of long term debt and unemployment on mental and general health and worked with a local charity to provide job opportunities for young unemployed people and also a debt management service which had directly benefited their patients.

• The systems and processes in place for enabling patients experiencing poor mental health to engage with the practice and receive care, treatment and support were outstanding.

The areas where the provider should make improvements are:

• The provider should review their processes for identifying and documenting themes from complaints and incidents.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice