• Doctor
  • GP practice

Boundary House Medical Centre

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

Boundary House,, 462, Northenden Road,, Sale, Cheshire, M33 2RH (0161) 972 9999

Provided and run by:
Boundary House Medical Centre

Latest inspection summary

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Background to this inspection

Updated 23 November 2018

Boundary House Medical Centre, is located in Sale in an old house where they have been based since the practice opened. They offer services under a General Medical Services contract to approximately 10,500 registered patients, with the highest population group being adults and young children. The population is mostly white British living in an area marked at number five on the scale of deprivation (where 10 is the least and one is the most deprived). The surgery is easily accessible with good public transport links and is equipped to accommodate patients with disabilities.

The practice is registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to provide the regulated activities of diagnostic and screening procedures, family planning, maternity and midwifery services, surgical procedures, and treatment of disease, disorder and injury.

Regulated activities are delivered to the patient population from the following address:

462 Northenden Road

Sale

Cheshire

M33 2RH

Practice staff consisted of three male partners and three female salaried GPs. There was also three GP third year specialist trainees and a GP retainer (a GP returning after training completed), two practice nurses, three health care assistants and an associate clinical practitioner in training. This was a newly appointed two year training programme. In addition, the practice hosted a clinical pharmacist also under a two year training programme. The clinical staff were supported by a practice manager, an office manager and a team of reception and administration staff.

The practice is open from 8am until 6.30pm Monday to Friday and closed at weekends. On Tuesday morning from 7am and Friday morning from 7.30am extended hours are offered. The telephone lines are open from 8am until 6.30pm daily and outside of those hours (including Mondays between 1pm and 2pm) the phones are diverted to the Out of Hours Provider, Mastercall.

Since our last inspection in January 2015 the practice has maintained the excellent standard of service provided to its population. However, since 2015 outstanding features have become more embedded across general practice.

Overall inspection

Good

Updated 23 November 2018

This practice is rated as Good overall. (Previous rating April 2015 – Outstanding)

The key questions at this inspection are rated as:

Are services safe? – Good

Are services effective? – Good

Are services caring? – Good

Are services responsive? – Outstanding

Are services well-led? - Good

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Boundary House Medical Practice on 1 October 2018 as part of our inspection programme.

At this inspection we found:

  • The practice had strong 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 habitually reviewed the effectiveness and appropriateness of the care it provided. It ensured that care and treatment was delivered according to evidence- based guidelines.
  • Staff involved and treated patients with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.
  • Patients found the appointment system easy to use and reported that they could access care when they needed it.
  • There was a strong focus on continuous learning and improvement at all levels of the organisation.

We saw areas of outstanding responsive practice :

  • The practice was very responsive and arranged its services to meet the requirements of the patients as much a possible. For example, they introduced Walking for Health – with 15-20 people walking weekly. They now have five patients trained as walk leaders. The scheme was so successful it is now part of a development across Trafford helping other GP surgeries to facilitate their own walking groups.
  • In response to meeting with a patient, the practice undertook an audit to identify patients on the autistic spectrum. A significant number were not receiving structured health checks because of their lack of engagement. As a direct result, specific structured invites were sent and the practice now provided structured invited health checks for all patients on the autistic spectrum.
  • Specific training was provided to a member of staff when patients suggested that extra help was required for those with mental health conditions. Coffee/tea mornings and exercise groups were introduced to combat loneliness in the community. Fundraising was undertaken to raise money for a community defibrillator after the one at the practice was borrowed on several occasions. Collections for the local food bank were organised and five deliveries had been provided.
  • A free acupuncture service was offered resulting in lower prescribing for pain relief medicines and lower referrals to secondary care services
  • Overall, we saw that the practice responded wholeheartedly to suggestions and advice it received from its patients.

Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGPChief Inspector of General Practice

Please refer to the detailed report and the evidence tables for further information.