17.11.14
First two GP practices inspected by CQC rated ‘outstanding’
The first two practices to be given a rating following the new CQC inspections have been rated ‘outstanding’, as the watchdog prepares to release ratings from 300 surgeries over the next two weeks.
Salford Health Matters in Eccles and Irlam Medical Practice in Salford have both been awarded the highest rating possible by the chief inspector of general practice, Professor Steve Field.
While the two general practices in Greater Manchester are the first to be rated within the next two years, CQC hopes to have inspected and rated all 8,000 general practices across England.
Professor Field said: “With our new inspection regime for general practice we are shining a spotlight on poor care and celebrating the good and the outstanding when we find it.
“I am very pleased that our first two ratings highlight some of the outstanding care that we know exists in general practice.
“While we are clearly in the very early stages of ratings these services and there is a long way to go before we have inspected every general practice across the country, this should send an encouraging and inspiring message to providers and to members of the public. I congratulate the staff at these practices for their hard work in making a difference for the people using these services.”
An examples of the ‘outstanding’ care inspected in at Salford Health Matters include is that all patients who require an appointment with a GP are seen on the day their request is made. Requests can be made at any time of day, and the practice has late night and weekend opening so patients who are not available during working hours can access appointments easily. Appointment length is also need-specific, with longer appointments routinely offered to some patients with a learning disability.
While at Irlam Medical Practice examples of ‘outsanding’ care include good leadership and a strong learning culture within all staff, with quality and safety being their top priority. Staff respond to change and are encouraged to bring suggestions for improvement. The practice also has excellent examples of close working partnerships with other health and social care professionals, which included care planning and a view to avoid unplanned hospital admissions. It also records and shares significant with multi-professional agencies. The CQC say they saw evidence that lessons are learned and systems changed so that patient care improves.
The CQC also announced details of its ‘intelligent monitoring’ system, which takes data from all practices and ranks them on a six-point scale ahead of being inspected. Practices are then placed into bands indicating their level of priority for inspection. Around 20% of practices have been allocated to band one or two, meaning they will be considered ‘high-risk’ and will be prioritised for inspection.
The vast majority of practices (80%) fall into bands three to six, indicating low concern, the watchdog said.
The bands are decided based on information obtained from a range of datasets including the QOF, GP patient survey and electronic prescribing analysis and costs.
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