Two West Yorkshire GP practices are rated as Outstanding by the Care Quality Commission

The Care Quality Commission has found the quality of care provided by two West Yorkshire GP practices to be Outstanding following inspections carried out in September 2015.

Inspectors rated Dr Watson and Partners, Pontefract as outstanding for effectiveness, responsiveness and good for caring, safety and well-led. Overall, the practice was rated as Outstanding. The Ferrybridge Medical Practice, Wakefield was rated outstanding for responsiveness and well-led and good for safety, effectiveness and safety. Overall, this practice was rated as Outstanding. Full reports of both inspections have been published today.

Under CQC’s 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.

A common feature of both practices was the way in which they used feedback from their respective patient participation groups.

The report on Dr Watson and Partners highlights a number of areas of outstanding practice including:

• The practice held a weekly dedicated Dementia ‘memory’ clinic. All staff and the PPG had received dementia training.
• The practice had a health trainer to support weight management, alcohol reduction and smoking cessation and could demonstrate this had a positive impact for patients using this service.
• The practice offered enhanced services including a prostate clinic and bladder scanning service, joint service and in-house physiotherapy, audiology and ultrasound services.

In respect of the Ferrybridge practice, the outstanding practice included:

• The practice had identified a gap in the sexual health service in the area. An advanced nurse practitioner (ANP) had been recruited to improve access to advice and support, particularly for young people. The nurse had worked with the Terence Higgins Trust to commence a weekly youth clinic for patients under the age of 18 years.
• The practice offered separate advice lines for children and those with long term conditions during opening hours. These were staffed by the ANPs. This enabled patients to access clinical support and advice and where necessary and appropriate be prescribed medicines. Patients said they found this to be a very useful service.

Sue McMillan CQC’s Deputy Chief Inspector of General Practice in the North says:

“It is clear that these practices are serving patients very well. Common themes of using patient feedback to improve services and patients being able to get urgent appointments when needed emerged from both inspections.

“It is always encouraging to report innovative practice and in the case Dr Watson the surgery used additional qualified staff such as advanced nurse practitioners (ANP) and physician assistants - this helped the practice to offer an appointment system that was flexible to the health needs of patients.

“At Ferrybridge they had pioneered GP and advanced nurse practitioner (ANP) appointments at Pontefract General Infirmary (A common venue where patients go to the accident and emergency department). GPs and advanced nurse practitioners from the practice had help to fulfil the rota for these clinics.

The GPs told us this had reduced attendance at accident and emergency.

“It is clear a great deal of planning and hard work has paid off in making a real difference to patients – which is why we have found both practices to be Outstanding.”

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