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

The Care Quality Commission has found the quality of care provided by The Oaks Medical Centre in Beeston, Nottingham, to be Outstanding following an inspection in November.

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 and is available on CQC’s website: www.cqc.org.uk/location/1-562435401.

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 practice was rated as Outstanding across all five areas.

The report on The Oaks Medical Centre highlights a number of areas of outstanding practice, including:

• The practice assessed appointments several times a day and when demand was high additional appointments were assigned for patients, reception staff were empowered to be patient advocates and accommodated patients’ needs. In practice this meant the vast majority of patients had access to an appointment on the same day.
• Patients whose circumstances may make them vulnerable were able to see a GP or nurse without an appointment as this was found to improve attendance and accommodate their often chaotic lifestyles. The practice also allowed patients to use the practice address for post, allowing other agencies to engage and support patients where appropriate.
• The practice was routinely updating policies and procedures to reduce future reoccurrence of risks highlighted from significant events and complaints. Significant event analysis was comprehensively reviewed to ensure updates were effective.
• The practice staff had highlighted risks in administering adrenaline in an emergency. To mitigate this, a visual guide had been produced for quick reference to ensure the correct dose was administered to the patient.

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

“It is clear The Oaks Medical Centre is providing an effective, responsive and well led service which is a real asset to the people living in this part of Nottinghamshire.

“There was a strong and visible patient centred culture at the practice. Staff were highly motivated and inspired to offer care that was kind and promoted people’s dignity. Relationships between patients, carers and staff were compassionate, caring and supportive.

“Staff recognised and respected patients’ needs and always took patients’ personal, cultural, social and religious needs into account. The practice worked closely with other organisations and with the local community in planning how services were provided to ensure that they met people’s needs.

“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. 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.