This practice is rated as Good overall. (Previous inspection 20 October 2015 – Good)

The key questions are rated as:

Are services safe? – Good

Are services effective? – Good

Are services caring? – Good

Are services responsive? – Good

Are services well-led? - Good

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Gatley Group Practice on 6 June 2018. This inspection was carried out under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. The inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

At this inspection we found:

•The practice had clear systems to manage risk so that safety incidents were less likely to happen. When incidents did happen, the practice learned from them and improved their processes.

•There was a strong focus on continuous learning and improvement at all levels of the organisation.

•Safety systems were comprehensive and actions were taken to prevent incidents and risks to patients. We noted that some recruitment information was not present.

•The practice routinely reviewed the effectiveness and appropriateness of the care it provided. It ensured care and treatment was delivered according to evidence- based guidelines.

•Clinicians had access to appropriate information to deliver safe care and treatment.

•Staff involved and treated patients with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.

•Patients found the appointment system easy to use and reported they were able to access care when they needed it. Patient feedback on the care and treatment delivered by all staff was overwhelmingly positive.

•There was a strong focus on continuous learning and improvement at all levels of the organisation.

We saw one areas of outstanding practice:

•Clinicians used 4G laptops on home visits to access patient records and complete electronic prescriptions.

The areas where the provider should make improvements are:

•Document recruitment information more fully particularly medical declarations.

•Improve the method of recording safety alerts.

•Document fire evacuation drills.

•Explore ways to provide patient information in a variety of formats.

Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Gatley Group Practice on 20 October 2015. Overall the practice is rated as good.

Our key findings across all the areas we inspected were as follows:

• Staff understood and fulfilled their responsibilities to raise concerns, and to report incidents and near misses. Information about safety was recorded, monitored, and addressed.
• Risks to patients were assessed and well managed.
• Patients’ needs were assessed and care was planned and delivered following best practice guidance. Staff had received training appropriate to their roles and any further training needs had been identified and planned.

• Patients were extremely positive in their feedback to us about the care they received. They said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and they were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment. They told us that staff often went over and above their duties in order to ensure patients needs were met.
• Information about services and how to complain was available and easy to understand.
• Patients said they found it easy to make an appointment with a GP or nurse and that there was continuity of care, with urgent appointments available the same day.
• The practice had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs.
• There was a clear leadership structure and staff felt supported by management. The practice proactively sought feedback from staff and patients, which it acted on.

We saw an area of outstanding practice:

• The practice accepted registrations from patients who were resident outside the geographic boundaries of the surgery, as long as it was clinically safe to do so. This allowed for greater flexibility for patients who, perhaps due to work commitments, would find it easier to attend appointments in Gatley.

However there were areas of practice where the provider needs to make improvements.

The provider should:

• Ensure learning outcomes are identified from clinical audit and disseminated to staff where appropriate to maximise opportunities for service improvement.
• Review any changes to practice resulting from significant event analysis to ensure changes implemented have been effective.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice