The Care Quality Commission
  • Doctor
  • GP practice

Northgate Village Surgery

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

Fountains Health, Delamere Street, Chester, Cheshire, CH1 4DS (01244) 564319

Provided and run by:
Northgate Village Surgery

Important: This service was previously registered at a different address - see old profile

All Inspections

6 July 2023

During a monthly review of our data

We carried out a review of the data available to us about Northgate Village Surgery on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.

This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.

If you have concerns about Northgate Village Surgery, you can give feedback on this service.

20 December 2019

During an annual regulatory review

We reviewed the information available to us about Northgate Village Surgery on 20 December 2019. We did not find evidence of significant changes to the quality of service being provided since the last inspection. As a result, we decided not to inspect the surgery at this time. We will continue to monitor this information about this service throughout the year and may inspect the surgery when we see evidence of potential changes.

11 April 2017

During a routine inspection

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Northgate Village Surgery Centre on 11 April 2017.

Overall the practice is rated as good.

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

  • There were systems in place to reduce risks to patient safety, for example, equipment checks were carried out, there were systems to protect patients from the risks associated with insufficient staffing levels and to prevent the spread of infection.
  • Staff understood and fulfilled their responsibilities to raise concerns and report incidents and near misses. Staff were aware of procedures for safeguarding patients from the risk of abuse.
  • Patients’ needs were assessed and care was planned and delivered following best practice guidance.
  • Staff felt supported. They had access to training and development opportunities and had received training appropriate to their roles.
  • Patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect. We saw staff treated patients with kindness and respect.
  • Services were planned and delivered to take into account the needs of different patient groups.

  • Access to the service was monitored to ensure it met the needs of patients.

  • There was a system in place to manage complaints.
  • There were systems in place to monitor and improve quality and identify risk.

The areas where the provider should make improvements are:

  • Introduce a written protocol detailing the process for changes to be made to medication by the medicines management team and safeguards to ensure changes made are correct. This protocol should also identify the remit of the medicines managers. An audit should be undertaken to ensure this system is operating effectively.

  • Make a record of the in-house checks of cleaning standards.
  • Ensure staff recruitment records contain evidence of qualifications having been verified and evidence of information having been gathered about any physical or mental conditions which were relevant (after reasonable adjustments) to the role the person was being employed to undertake.

  • The health and safety risk assessment specific to the practice should contain more detail about possible risks and how they are to be mitigated.

  • A record should be made of which staff participated in fire drills and any action to be taken to improve the process.

  • The salaried GPs should have an in-house appraisal in addition to the external appraisal process.
  • Provide a more comprehensive record of the induction provided to staff.
  • Include in records of clinical meetings discussion concerning National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) updates and alerts received from the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice