CQC inspectors find Middleton Health Centre to be Outstanding in the services provided to the local population

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has found the quality of care provided by Middleton Health Centre (run by Hope Citadel Healthcare Community Interest Company) in Middleton, Manchester to be Outstanding following an inspection in April 2016. This is a real achievement by the practice and a fantastic resource for the people of Middleton 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 Middleton Health Centre have been rated as Outstanding overall.

A full report of the inspection has been published here: www.cqc.org.uk/location/1-540250390/reports

We saw several areas of outstanding practice including:

• The practice had increased the flexibility and length of its appointments to 13 minutes instead of 10 and could demonstrate the impact of this by reduced use of the accident and emergency services. This will undoubtedly have had a positive knock on effect to the health economy of the local area.
• The way the practice cared for older people. Hampers were arranged by the staff for those patients in need of them and the practice worked closely with Age Concern and social care services. All elderly patients were offered double appointments if required. The practice was also responsive to their needs and offered planned and unplanned home visits and urgent appointments for those with enhanced requirements.
• The focussed care team organised social activities such as weekly coffee mornings and craft classes for female patients, open days, boogie babies. They did this to build relationships with the patient population, reduce social isolation, help patients learn new skills whilst keeping informal contact with the practice and reduce inappropriate attendance at other acute services such as walk in centres or accident and emergency departments. Audit showed that families accessing focussed care needed to attend the surgery 57% less often in the year following the support provided.

We observed a strong patient-centred culture, staff were motivated and inspired to offer kind and compassionate care and worked to overcome obstacles to achieve this. We spoke to patients who gave examples of how the practice had made a positive difference to their lives, such as providing food parcels to patients in need.

We also spoke with seven patients during the inspection. All seven said they were satisfied with the care they received and thought staff were approachable, committed and caring. Some patients gave examples of the care and support offered by the practice in its focussed approach.

Sue McMillan, Deputy Chief Inspector of General Practice in the North, said:

"It is clear Middleton Health Centre is providing an effective, responsive and well-led service which is a real asset to the people living in this part of Manchester. To get rated as Outstanding is a real achievement.

“The practice had a clear vision which had quality and safety as its top priority and this is reflected in everything that they do.

“It was also extremely impressive to see the team taking ownership of reducing the inappropriate use of other NHS healthcare services by their patients. They did this using creative and innovative strategies such as coffee mornings or craft sessions to build relationships with the patient population and keeping an informal contact with them. This sense of responsibility will have saved the local health economy money and more importantly freed up resources for those that need them most.

“This is a great example of what outstanding care looks like.”

Professor Steve Field, Chief Inspector of General Practice said:

“All of this hard work and dedication pays off in making a real difference for their patients – which is why we have found this practice to be Outstanding.”

Our inspection team was led by a CQC Lead Inspector and included a GP specialist adviser.

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.

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