The Care Quality Commission has found the quality of care provided by Bernays & Whitehouse Group Practice, in Solihull, to be Outstanding following an inspection in May.
Inspectors found the practice was providing a safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led service that meets the needs of the population it serves.
Bernays & Whitehouse Group Practice was the first GP partnership in Solihull area of the West Midlands and began in 1883. There are two surgery locations that form the practice; Grove Surgery and Shirley Medical Centre where approximately 20,000 patients are registered. Patients can be seen by staff at both surgery sites.
A full report of the inspection has now been published and is available on CQC’s website.
Under CQC’s programme of inspections, all England’s GP practices are given a rating according to whether they are safe, effective, caring, responsive and well led.
The report on Bernays & Whitehouse Group Practice highlights a number of areas of outstanding practice, including:
- The practice has set up a dementia café every three months to support patients and their carers at their sister practice Shirley Medical Centre with the support of the patient participation group (PPG). The practice opened this up to the local community and had a positive response and is now looking to develop this further, with the support of local agencies and the practice staff who are dementia friends.
- The practice has started a weight clinic on a Saturday morning with an open invitation to all patients. Inspectors saw evidence to confirm effective weight loss had been achieved.
- As a result of incidents that had to come to light through appraisals and discussions at clinical meetings, the practice decided to set up alerts that highlight possible ‘serious conditions.
- The practice has produced specific leaflets for patients so they are fully involved and aware of the possible complications and the importance of seeking medical help should any of the symptoms appear. For example, Cauda Equina. This is a rare but very significant and serious complication of sciatica/back pain which can result in permanent nerve damage.
Janet Williamson, Deputy Chief Inspector of General Practice and Dentistry in CQC’s Central region said:
“It is clear Bernays & Whitehouse Group Practice is providing a caring, responsive and well led service which is a real asset to the people living in this part of Solihull.
“The practice used innovative and proactive methods to improve patient outcomes, working with other local providers to share best practice.
“Patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and they were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment. Feedback from patients about their care was consistently positive.
“There was a clear leadership structure and staff felt supported by management. The practice proactively sought feedback from staff and patients, which it acted on.
“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.”
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