Nottingham GP practice is rated as Outstanding by the Care Quality Commission

The Care Quality Commission has found the quality of care provided by Sherrington Park Medical Practice to be Outstanding following an inspection in March.

Inspectors found the practice was providing a safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led service that meets the needs of the population it serves.

A full report of the inspection has now been published.

Under CQC’s new programme of inspections, all England’s GP practices are being given a rating according to whether they are safe, effective, caring, responsive and well led.

The report on Sherrington Park Medical Practice highlights a number of areas of outstanding practice, including:   

• The practice worked in collaboration with other practices. For example, reviewing and learning from incidents; peer review meetings; and arranging and hosting monthly presentations from locally based professionals – for example, a consultant in chest related diseases had recently spoken to the group.
• In response to a lower rate of diagnosis, the practice had introduced a more comprehensive assessment tool to identify patients with dementia, and implemented an alert for patients at risk of developing dementia on the clinicians’ computers. This had helped identify more patients with dementia to enable them to receive treatment and support at the earliest opportunity. The diagnosis rate had increased from 35.2% to 48.5% to bring this in line with the local average of 55%. The use of the new screening tool had identified three new patients with dementia in the first two months of its implementation, who would not have been identified using the standard assessment tool.
• The practice provided excellent access to GP appointments. This was reinforced by the national GP survey results. For example, 89% of patients described their experience of making an appointment as good compared to the CCG average of 74% and national average of 73%. Patients we spoke to on the day of the inspection also highlighted the ease of making an appointment to see a doctor.

Janet Williamson, Deputy Chief Inspector of General Practice and Dentistry in CQC’s Central region said:

“It is clear Sherrington Park Medical Practice is providing a caring, responsive and well led service which is a real asset to the people living in this part of Nottingham.

“Feedback from patients about their care, and their interactions with all practice staff, was consistently and strongly positive. Patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and they were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment.

“There was a strong and proactive leadership structure within the practice, and staff felt well-supported by management. The practice worked effectively with the wider multi-disciplinary team to plan and deliver effective and responsive care to keep vulnerable patients safe.

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

Ends

For further information, please contact Regional Engagement Officer, Helen Gildersleeve on 0191 233 3379.

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