This practice is rated as Outstanding. This practice is registered at a new address.

The key questions are rated as:

Are services safe? – Good

Are services effective? – Outstanding

Are services caring? – Good

Are services responsive? – Outstanding

Are services well-led? – Outstanding

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at West Gorton Medical Centre 2 Clowes Street, Manchester on 23 May 2018. The GP practice was located previously at address 6a Wenlock Way, West Gorton and was inspected on 21 July 2016 where we rated the practice Good with Safe rated as requires improvement for recruitment procedures and systems of staff appraisal.

This was the practice’s first inspection at this registered location. 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 GP Partners were a driving force, united in their commitment to deliver person centred care to their patient population. They effectively used the skills and abilities of their staff team and the resources available in the local community to provide innovative and accessible care, treatment and support to their patients.
• All the practice team were passionate in involving patients in the management of their own health and wellbeing.
• The practice’s underpinning ethos was that the patient was central to all its activities. It involved patients in learning and understanding about their health conditions to promote improved self-management and it utilised effectively community resources to ensure their patients received as much support as possible.
• The GPs worked closely with allied health and social care services to provide a holistic approach to the care provided to patients living in a deprived area.
• The practice implemented new approaches to patient engagement in the management of their long term health condition. Relationships were based on mutual respect and active involvement of patients in their own care by increasing education, promoting self-care and providing support with encouragement to lead healthier lives.
• The practice had clearly defined and embedded systems to minimise risks to patient safety and 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.
• Staff involved and treated patients with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.
• Patient feedback on the care and treatment delivered by all staff was overwhelmingly positive.

We saw areas of outstanding practice including:

• Systems to ensure children were safeguarded were supported by the practice’s policy ‘Child not brought to appointment’, whereby all non-attendances at primary care and secondary care appointments were responded to and appropriate action implemented.
• The practice was proactive in piloting research based new ways of working with patients. This included holding regular planned group consultations with diabetic patients and weekly group drop in sessions for patients with chronic obstructive airways disease. Besides the health benefits of these group health care meetings, patients had the opportunity to develop social support networks outside of the GP practice meeting.
• The practice was proactive in seeking out support services and offering these locally for their patients. Supportive services available to patients included the regular contact from the health and wellbeing service Buzz Manchester, weekly visits by staff from the Citizens Advice Bureau and joint working with Shared Care to provide personalised support to specific patients.

The areas where the provider should make improvements are:

• Continue with planned work to identify and support patients who are also carers.
• Continue with the planned review of hypnotic prescribing.

Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP
Chief Inspector of General Practice