The Care Quality Commission has found the quality of care provided by The Gate Surgery in Rotherham to be Outstanding following an inspection carried out in March.
The surgery was rated Good overall at a previous inspection in September 2016 but was rated Requires Improvement for safety. This latest inspection was to check on the improvements that we asked them to make.
Inspectors found significant improvements in the safety of care being provided. The practice is now rated Outstanding for being caring and responsive, and Good for being safe, effective and well-led, giving them their new overall Outstanding rating. A full report of the inspection has been published on our website.
CQC’s Head of General Practice in the North, Beverley Cole, said:
“The Gate Surgery was already providing good care to people using their services. However we had told the surgery they must improve the safety of their services as we had rated this area as requiring improvement at a previous inspection in September last year."
“At this latest inspection we found significant improvements in safety at the practice and this improved their overall rating to Outstanding."
“All of the staff at this practice should be very proud of the service they are providing. Other providers should look to them as an example of how to provide great care.”
Professor Steve Field, Chief Inspector of General Practice, said:
“I am delighted to highlight the exceptional service which is being provided by this practice."
Some of the improvements CQC inspectors found around safety included:
- At this inspection we found the management team had reviewed their last inspection report in detail and had responded to all shortfalls identified not only to meet legal requirements but they had also responded to all minor points in the report. They had taken immediate action to improve and had continued to review and improve policies and procedures and systems.
- Systems to manage blank prescriptions had been improved to ensure these met NHS Protect guidance.
- Storage arrangements for vaccines had been improved to ensure these met Public Health England guidance.
The practice had also continued to find innovative ways of working to improve care for their patients and at this inspection we found additional areas of outstanding practice:
- The practice had looked at patients with a confirmed diagnosis of HIV and audited whether they had been offered vaccinations as per the British HIV Association Guidance. A second audit since the last inspection showed an increase in the number of patients who were offered vaccinations and uptake of the vaccinations. For example, HIV positive patients being offered outstanding vaccinations had increased from 0% to 100%.
- Due to their specific patient population needs, the practice offered screening and vaccination over and above the programme offered to new-born babies of parents diagnosed with Hepatitis B. All children of parents with this diagnosis, regardless of their age, were offered screening and vaccination at this practice.
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For further information please contact CQC Regional Engagement Officer Kerri James by email kerri.james@cqc.org.uk or by phone on 07464 92 9966.
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All of the staff at this practice should be very proud of the service they are providing.
CQC’s Head of General Practice in the North, Beverley Cole