The Schoolhouse Surgery is rated as Outstanding by The Care Quality Commission

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has found the quality of care provided by The Schoolhouse Surgery in Stockport, Cheshire to be Outstanding following an inspection carried out in December 2014.

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

A full report of the inspection has been published today.

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 The Schoolhouse Surgery highlights a number of areas of outstanding practice, including:

• Patient safety was a priority in all that the practice did. The practice worked with each community stakeholder to ensure treatment delivered met patients’ needs, whilst sharing with patients any risks involved in their treatment.
• Inspectors saw excellent examples of close working partnerships with other health and social care professionals, which included multidisciplinary team meetings held on a weekly basis to discuss the needs of high risk patients. The practice was able to demonstrate how this approach had significantly reduced re-admission to hospital of vulnerable patients.
• The practice proactively reached out to the local community. For example, GPs working at the practice encouraged families and young people to use technology to help make health and lifestyle decisions. Examples included use of applications on computers or smart phones to help calculate calorie intake, or the use of pedometers to measure the contribution community walks made to exercise needed each day..
• GP registrars being trained at the surgery and were taught to ‘view excellence as the norm rather than the exceptional’ showing the commitment to high quality care.
• All staff had received training beyond what is considered as mandatory. Staff showed a commitment to the vision of the practice, and felt they played a part in the delivery of safe, compassionate care and treatment.
• GP’s at the practice were committed to providing support to older patients who wished to remain at home rather than be admitted to hospital.
• Practice partners recognised that engagement with patients beyond time spent in the consulting room was key in leading patients to better health and improved lifestyle choices.

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

“It is clear that The Schoolhouse Surgery is providing an effective and well led service which is a real asset to the people living in this part of Cheshire.

“Feedback from patients was overwhelmingly positive and many commented that staff went above and beyond their level of duty.

“We found that the practice displayed an excellent understanding of the differing needs of their patients and acted on these needs in the planning and delivery of its services.

“Staff demonstrated a commitment to help support patients to live healthier lives and drive continuous improvements in the outcomes for patients.

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

Ends

For further information please contact CQC Regional Engagement Manager Kirstin Hannaford on 0191 233 3629. Alternatively, the CQC press office can be contacted on 0207 448 9401 or out of hours on 07789 876508.