Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

At our previous inspection on 14 October 2014, we rated the practice as good overall. At this inspection, we have also rated the practice as 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

As part of our inspection process, we also look at the quality of care for specific population groups. The population groups are rated as:

Older People – Good

People with long-term conditions – Good

Families, children and young people – Good

Working age people (including those recently retired and students – Good

People whose circumstances may make them vulnerable – Good

People experiencing poor mental health (including people with dementia) - Good

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Haltwhistle Medical Group on 11 December 2017 to check the provider continues to meet the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

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.

• The practice routinely reviewed the effectiveness and appropriateness of the care and treatment they provided. Staff ensured that care and treatment was delivered in line with evidence- based guidelines.

• Patients found the appointment system easy to use and reported that they were able to access care and treatment when they needed it.

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

• The practice had a clear vision to deliver high quality care and promote good outcomes for patients. There were a strong and cohesive staff team, with high levels of staff satisfaction.

We also saw an area of outstanding practice:

• Feedback from patients about access to appointments, the practice’s opening hours and the quality of their care and treatment was continuously very positive. The results of the NHS National GP Patient Survey, published in July 2017, showed patients rated the practice higher for all aspects of care, when compared to the local clinical commissioning group (CCG) and national averages. This high level of achievement had been sustained over a number of years.

The area where the provider should make an improvement is:

• Consider carrying out regular audits of the practice’s consent process.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out a comprehensive inspection of Haltwhistle Medical Group on 14 October 2014.

We rated the practice overall as good.

Our key findings were as follows:

• The practice covered a large geographical and rural area, services had been designed to meet the needs of the local population.

• Feedback from patients was overwhelmingly positive, they told us staff treated them with respect and kindness.

• Staff reported feeling supported and able to voice any concerns or make suggestions for improvement.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice