CQC inspectors find Wallsend GP surgery to be Outstanding in the services provided to the local population

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has found the quality of care provided by Park Road Medical Practice, Wallsend to be Outstanding following an inspection in May this year.

This is a real achievement by the practice and a fantastic resource for the people of North Tyneside 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 Park Road Medical Practice have been rated as Outstanding overall.

A full report of the inspection has been published.

There was a clear leadership structure in place and staff felt supported by management. The practice proactively sought feedback from staff and patients, which they acted on.

Patients told inspectors that they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and they were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment.

The practice was very well integrated in the local community; managers were aware of the housing problems faced by some people and provided appropriate support.

We saw several areas of outstanding practice:

• Following a suggestion made by the practice’s patient participation group, the practice developed and implemented a ‘discharge and handover’ policy. Every patient who had been discharged from hospital was contacted to ask how they were and if they needed any support or help with medication.
• There was a system in place to invite patients in for a teenage health check once they reached their 16^th birthday;
• A practice leaflet had been produced for patients between the ages of 13 and 19; this provided contact details and pictures of all of the GPs and information about the dedicated young people’s services offered by the practice.
• A ‘new baby pack’ had been developed by the practice; this was sent out to all new parents and provided information about baby clinics and how to seek medical advice for young families.
• Each day, a number of ‘sick children’ appointments were embargoed for booking babies or young children with a GP. Many of these appointments were held until mid-afternoon when children had finished school for the day.

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

"It is clear Park Road Medical Practice is providing an effective, responsive and well-led service which is a real asset to the people living in this part of North Tyneside. To get rated as Outstanding is a real achievement.

“We were particularly impressed with the way services were planned and delivered to take into account the needs of different patient groups and to help ensure flexibility, choice and continuity of care. For example, the practice holds some appointments each day to provide flexibility for those families with unwell babies or young children. These are held until mid-afternoon when children have finished school for the day which showed a real commitment to anticipating the needs of people using their services.

“It was remarkable to see the lengths that this practice went to providing personalised care for their patients. 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 Park Road Medical Practice.”

Our inspection team was led by a CQC Lead Inspector. The team included a GP specialist advisor and an expert by experience. An expert by experience is somebody who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses a health, mental health and/or social care service.

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.