Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out a planned comprehensive inspection of West Road Medical Centre on 10 December 2014.

Overall, we rated the practice as outstanding.

Our key findings were as follows:

• Patients reported good access to the practice and continuity of care, with urgent appointments available the same day.
• Patients said, and our observations confirmed, they were treated with kindness and respect.
• Patient outcomes were at or above average for the locality and good practice guidance was referenced and used routinely.
• The practice was visibly clean and tidy.
• The practice learned from incidents and took action to prevent a recurrence.

We saw the following areas of outstanding practice:

• One of the GPs worked with a local charity (HAREF, the Health and Race Equality Forum) and the Newcastle Diabetes Centre to make sure health promotion information was made available to patients within ethnic minority communities.
• Highly effective systems were in place to manage patients’ long term conditions. Nationally reported guidance showed the practice was performing well above local and national averages in relation to the management of long term conditions.

• The practice had strong links with local communities and services had been designed to reflect the needs of the diverse population served by the practice. Staff were aware of patients’ religious beliefs and adapted their approach accordingly.
• The practice worked with female patients within migrant communities to promote the cervical screening service. Staff told us there had been an increase in the uptake of screening tests following this.
• Patient feedback was very positive; results from the National Patient Survey showed the practice was performing well. For example, 97% of patients were satisfied with opening hours (compared to 77% nationally).

However, there was also an area of practice where the provider should make improvements.

The practice should:

• maintain clear records on prescription stationery stock, in line with guidance from NHS Protect.

Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP 

Chief Inspector of General Practice