The Eaglescliffe Medical Group, Stockton on Tees, rated as Outstanding by the CQC

The Care Quality Commission has found the quality of care provided by The Eaglescliffe Medical Group in Stockton on Tees, Cleveland, to be Outstanding following an inspection in August 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 a GP and a practice manager as specialist advisors, rated the services provided by The Eaglescliffe Medical Group as Outstanding overall and Outstanding for providing services to all population groups it serves.

A full report of the inspection has been published today.

The practice located on Sunningdale Drive, Eaglescliffe in Stockton on Tees, provides primary medical services to over 9,100 patients.

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

• The service was highly engaged with the local community, working in partnership with local providers to share best practice and to plan for patients needs proactively.
• The practice had a very good skill mix which included a nurse practitioner who was able to see a broader range of patients than the practice nurse. There was a preceptorship programme in place to support practice nurses employed in the practice.
• The practice had produced detailed care plans for certain conditions such as those with mental illness, older people and other long term conditions. These plans advised clinicians on what they should be monitoring, questions they should ask patients about their condition and when they should refer patients to a consultant or acute care. Data showed that the number of patients accessing mental health out patient’s services had decreased since the care plans had been put in place.
• In partnership with a neighbouring practice staff at Eaglescliffe Medical Group had created clinical standards for care delivered in local care homes. The standards set out what should be expected by the patients and staff in the home and also how the practice would monitor the effectiveness.

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

“It is clear The Eaglescliffe Medical Group is providing an effective, caring service which is well led and a real asset to the people living in this part of the North East.

“The practice was proactive in providing great community care, and was able to address a broader range of conditions due to their excellent skill mix. They also undertook work to help reduce the amount of hospital admissions for their patients.

“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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