Burn Brae Medical Group, Hexham, rated as Outstanding by the CQC

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has found the quality of care provided by Burn Brae Medical Group in Hexham, Northumberland, to be Outstanding following an inspection in July 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. Burn Brae Medical Centre were rated Outstanding for being safe, caring, responsive to people’s needs and well led, and Outstanding for the services provided to all population groups.

The inspection team, which included a GP and a practice manager as specialist advisors, rated the services provided by Burn Brae Medical Group as Outstanding overall.

A full report of the inspection has been published today.

The surgery located at Hexham Primary Care Centre, Corbridge Road in Hexham, serves over 8,900 patients.

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

• The practice was well engaged with the local community, working in partnership with local providers to share best practice and plan for patient’s needs.
• As result of consultation with local young people, the practice set up a drop in session during after school hours for young people to discuss health care needs and overcome any barriers to accessing care. The practice achieved a Department of Health accreditation in this area.
• Regular clinical and performance audits of the service delivery were completed to help identify areas of improvement and reflect on the care given to patients. There was a shared vision of quality and safety for the practice alongside a strategy to deliver it, which had been developed with local stakeholders, and was regularly reviewed by staff to continually improve.
• Inspectors received positive feedback from patients about their care. Patients told inspectors that they were treated with dignity and compassion and that they were fully involved in the planning of their care.
• The practice had a strong focus on continual learning and was able to demonstrate that staff understood their responsibilities to raise concerns, report and learn from any incidents.

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

“It is clear Burn Brae Medical Group is providing a safe, caring and responsive service which is well led and a real asset to the people living in this part Northumberland.

“Feedback from patients was excellent and staff made every effort to fully involve people in decisions about their care and treatment.

“There was a strong desire to learn at the practice, staff were highly skilled, engaged and committed to improving quality of care by learning from every opportunity and this was underpinned by their clear vision and strategy for the practice.

“The practice was actively involved in community care, undertaking innovative work to help the young people of the area get better access to healthcare services.

“Staff demonstrated a comprehensive approach in managing the differing needs of their patients, proactively gathering feedback, 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 CQC Regional Communications Officer Mark Humphreys on 0191 233 3519 or 07881656012.

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