West Yorkshire GP Surgery rated as Outstanding by the CQC

The Care Quality Commission has found the quality of care provided by White Rose Surgery, in Pontefract, West Yorkshire, to be Outstanding following an inspection in September 2015.

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

The inspection team, which included CQC inspectors, a GP specialist advisor, a practice nurse specialist advisor, a specialist advisor with experience of practice management and an expert by experience, rated the services provided by White Rose Surgery as Outstanding overall, and Outstanding for providing services to older patients and to people with long term conditions.

A full report of the inspection has been published today.

The surgery, on Exchange Street in South Elmsall, serves over 21,000 patients across three sites.

The report highlights a number of areas of outstanding practice, including:

• All patients who were smokers and aged 40 and above were routinely screened for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This had resulted in a 26 per cent reduction in COPD hospital admissions in the previous 12 months.
• The practice had an in-house smoking cessation service which was facilitated by a trained member of staff. The service had resulted in a 16 per cent reduction of registered smokers during the previous 12 month period.
• The practice had employed a nurse who specifically focused on house bound patients who either had a long-term condition or were elderly. Through targeted interventions, this had resulted in an overall reduction of unplanned hospital admissions in the previous 12 months.
• There was a fully equipped gym located in the practice, with qualified gym instructors to assist patients in improving their mobility, managing body weight and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. This was available to all patients who were registered with the practice.
• The practice leaflet and other health care advice/information had been translated into Polish to support the 10 per cent of registered patients who were Polish speaking.

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

“I am delighted to highlight the exceptional standard of care which is being provided by White Rose Surgery.

“Feedback from patients we spoke with during the inspection and comments we received were positive and staff sought patient views how improvements could be made.

“There was a strong learning culture at the practice and staff were highly motivated and committed to improving quality of care.

“We were particularly impressed with the practice’s approach to adopting and championing new initiatives that would help to improve outcomes for patients. For example, the practice worked with Wakefield Clinical Commissioning Group to provide intensive support for patients who had a long-term condition and were most at risk of a hospital admission.

“Staff demonstrated a sound understanding of the differing needs of their patients and reflected these needs when planning and delivering services. This is a great example of what outstanding care looks like.”

Ends

For further information please contact Kirstin Hannaford on 0191 233 3629.

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