Today we have published a collection of examples of outstanding practice that our inspectors have found in GP surgeries across England.
We have been inspecting general practices under our new inspection model since October 2014, and have now published approximately 1,200 GP practice inspection reports. Our new online tool (examples of outstanding practice for GPs) brings together a collection of some of the most innovative and effective examples of outstanding practice that CQC inspectors have found since implementing the new methodology.
The tool intends to provide real-world, illustrative examples of high quality general practice that other providers can refer to. The examples are divided into the five key questions that we ask when making judgements about the quality of a service in our new inspection model, as well as the six patient population groups we pay particular attention to. Under the new approach, we ask if services are safe, effective, caring, responsive to patient need, and if they are well-led.
We will be asking all GP providers registered on our online community for feedback on how useful they find the tool.
Professor Steve Field, Chief Inspector of General Practice at CQC, said: “It is great to see some of the fantastic examples of care our inspectors have found so far. These examples demonstrate where providers have gone above and beyond the regulations to deliver safe, compassionate, high-quality care that is responsive to the needs of their patients. I would urge GPs to look at this outstanding practice and learn from it so we can work together to improve the quality of care provided across the whole of England.”
Professor Nigel Sparrow, Senior National GP Adviser at CQC, said: “This toolkit for GP practices is a key part of how we plan to celebrate excellence in care, and support improvement in general practice. We plan to continue updating the website when we find new examples of outstanding practice, and we look forward to including examples from our new inspections for out-of-hours and NHS 111 services as well. We would be keen to hear from GP practices about how useful they find the tool.”
One of the examples included in the toolkit is Elgar House in Worcestershire. The practice nurse at this surgery organised a six-week group based education programme for patients with diabetes. The programme provides patients with the knowledge, skills and confidence necessary to self-manage their diabetes. Patients visited the practice every week, and at the end of the programme patients showed improved outcomes, including weight loss, reduction in blood sugar levels and reduced cholesterol.
You can find the examples of outstanding practice for GPs at www.cqc.org.uk/outstandingprimarycare.
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These examples demonstrate where providers have gone above and beyond the regulations to deliver safe, compassionate, high-quality care that is responsive to the needs of their patients.
Professor Steve Field, Chief Inspector of General Practice