The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has found the quality of care provided by Glenroyd Medical to be Outstanding following an inspection in June this year.
This is a real achievement by the practice and a fantastic resource for the people of the Blackpool area to have on their doorstep.
Under CQC’s programme of inspections, all of England’s GP practices are being given a rating in five key areas, are they; safe, effective, caring, responsive and well led. The services provided by Glenroyd Medical have been rated as Outstanding overall.
A full report of the inspection has been published.
Glenroyd Medical used innovative and proactive methods to improve patient outcomes, working with other local providers to share best practice. In one example, a practice pharmacist had identified a common theme in incidents reported to the clinical commissioning group (CCG) and highlighted this to them. The CCG then asked the other 22 practices in the area to address this issue.
They also implemented suggestions for improvements and made changes to the way it delivered services as a consequence of feedback from patients and from the patient participation group.
Glenroyd Medical had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs. Inspectors saw that the practice had identified there was a need to improve access for patients with hearing difficulties and two of the practice staff had trained in basic sign language.
CQC saw that the practice had strong and visible clinical and managerial leadership and governance arrangements. Staff were proud of Glenroyd Medical and were constantly involved in developing and supporting new ways of providing treatment.
Inspectors saw several areas of outstanding practice:
- Glenroyd Medical was proactive in developing a practice team that offered an optimum skill mix to support the GPs. The numbers of clinical staff and the wide range of nursing skills improved patient access to appointments.
- The practice had recognised that patients referred for community assessment using a Doppler machine were having a lengthy wait to be seen. (Doppler assessments look at blood flow in the major arteries and veins in the limbs). The practice had arranged training in the use of the Doppler machine for one of its nurses with the vascular nurse practitioners at the hospital. This shortened waiting times for those patients needing assessment.
- One of the practice nurses and the practice fitness instructor provided a pulmonary rehabilitation service for all patients in the clinical commissioning group (CCG).
Sue McMillan, Deputy Chief Inspector of General Practice in the North, said:
"It is clear Glenroyd Medical is providing a safe, effective and caring service which is a real asset to the people living in this part of Blackpool. To get rated as Outstanding is a real achievement.
“We were particularly impressed with the practice’s commitment to improving the quality of the services they provide, and sharing their innovative findings to drive up the quality of care for the patients at other practices.
“It was also very evident that the patient was at the heart of everything Glenroyd Medical did. They consulted patients often and didn’t just listen to them but acted on their feedback. This is a great example of what outstanding care looks like.”
Professor Steve Field, Chief Inspector of General Practice said:
“I am delighted to highlight the exceptional service which is being provided by Glenroyd Medical.”
Our inspection team was led by a CQC Lead Inspector. The team included a GP specialist advisor and a practice nurse specialist advisor.
Ends
For further information please contact CQC Regional Communications Officer Kerri James by email kerri.james@cqc.org.uk or by phone on 07464 92 9966.
Journalists wishing to speak to the press office outside of office hours can find out how to contact the team here. Please note: the press office is unable to advise members of the public on health or social care matters. For general enquiries, please call 03000 61 61 61.
Find out more
Read our reports about Glenroyd Medical.
They consulted patients often and didn’t just listen to them but acted on their feedback.
Sue McMillan, Deputy Chief Inspector of General Practice in the North