The Care Quality Commission
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Archived: Newtown Surgery

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

Widnes Health Care Resource Centre, Oaks Place, Caldwell Road, Widnes, Cheshire, WA8 7GD (0151) 495 5110

Provided and run by:
Dr Araf Mahmood Arain

All Inspections

11 April 2018

During an inspection looking at part of the service

We previously carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Newtown Surgery on 5 April 2017.

The overall rating for the practice was good with a rating of requires improvement for the key question of responsive. The full comprehensive report on 5 April 2017 inspection can be found by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Newton Surgery on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

This desk-based review was carried out on 11 April 2018 to confirm that the practice had carried out their plan to meet the legal requirements in relation to the breach in regulation that we identified in our previous inspection on 5 April 2017. This report covers our findings in relation to that requirement made at our last inspection.

Overall the practice is still rated as good and rated as good for providing a responsive service.

Our key findings were as follows:

The practice had made improvements and addressed the issues identified in the previous inspection. Improvements included:

  • Action had been taken to improve capacity for the provision of clinical appointments and improve patient experience of access to the service:
  • The practice had extended its operating hours to include Thursday afternoons.
  • There had been an increase on online appointments available.
  • There had been an increase of advanced booking online appointments.
  • There had been an increase of on the day online appointments before 9am and after 5pm.
  • Following the last inspection a prescription phone line had been introduced.

At our previous inspection on 5 April 2017, we rated the practice as requires improvement for providing responsive services because some of the patients we spoke with and patient survey results identified that it was difficult to make an appointment and patients struggled to get through on the telephone lines for the surgery. At this desk-based review we found that improvements had been made to patient access and the number of available appointments had increased. The practice is now rated as good for providing responsive services.

Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP

Chief Inspector of General Practice

5 April 2017

During a routine inspection

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Newtown Surgery on 5 April 2017. Overall the practice is rated as good.

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

  • There was an open and transparent approach to safety and a system in place for reporting and recording significant events.
  • The practice had defined and embedded systems to minimise risks to patient safety.
  • Staff were aware of current evidence based guidance. Staff had been trained to provide them with the skills and knowledge to deliver effective care and treatment.
  • A clinical pharmacist works as part of the general practice team to resolve day-to-day medicines issues and consult with patients directly.
  • Results from the national GP patient survey showed patients were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment.
  • Information about services and how to complain was available.

  • Patients we spoke with said they were very happy with staff and the care provided.

  • The appointments system provided a range of appointments to meet patients’ needs including urgent and on the day appointments. However, feedback from some patients was that they had difficulty getting through to the practice by phone and that they sometimes waited too long for an appointment.

  • The practice had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs.
  • There was a clear leadership structure and staff felt supported by management. The practice proactively sought feedback from staff and patients, which it acted on.
  • The provider was aware of the requirements of the duty of candour. Examples we reviewed showed the practice complied with these requirements.

The areas where the provider must make improvement are:

  • Take action to improve capacity for the provision of clinical appointments and improve patient experience of access to the service.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice