Archived: Tillingham Medical Centre

This practice is rated as outstanding overall. (This is the first inspection of Tillingham Medical Centre)

The key questions are rated as:

Are services safe? – Good

Are services effective? – Outstanding

Are services caring? – Outstanding

Are services responsive? – Outstanding

Are services well-led? – Outstanding

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Tillingham Medical Centre on 13 April 2018. This inspection was carried out as part of our inspection programme.

This was an outstanding practice that was consistently achieving high outcomes. There were many areas of outstanding practice, but the ones we wish to highlight are:

• The practice had developed a strong and positive culture for staff and patients. There was a clear commitment to staff wellbeing, holistic patient treatment and focused collaboration with external stakeholders. The practice provided the highest level of support to enable all staff to provide care to their patients. They encouraged staff training and innovative developments to facilitate staff in achieving their shared vision of high quality care for patients. The leadership strategies in place had been developed with the input of staff, patients and external stakeholders and had resulted in high achievements for patient outcomes.
• The practice could evidence a strong commitment to national priorities and preventative care for patients. For example, the practice had developed and implemented a system whereby if a patient was registered as a carer and admitted to hospital, the practice made contact with the person the patient cared for. This was to ensure an appropriate care package was in place if required and that medicines were being managed effectively. External agencies were contacted if required to ensure the patients’ needs were met.
• The practice had part funded a primary care matron, after a successful pilot in collaboration with the local community provider. The primary care matron role included visiting patients that had been discharged from hospital to safeguard against any potential future admissions. The role also included joint assessments with external agencies to ensure a fully holistic approach to the management of patients with complex healthcare requirements. The primary care matron also implemented ‘rescue plans’ for vulnerable patients to meet social issues that may have otherwise been undetected. Feedback from external agencies and patients regarding this role was wholly positive and the practice could demonstrate they were the second lowest for unplanned admissions to hospital in the clinical commissioning group.
• The practice had planned, implemented and monitored innovative and creative methods of treating patients with learning disabilities. For example, the practice had worked in close collaboration with the local home for patients with learning disabilities to create a visual pain scale for patients to use. They ensured a high level of continuity of care for these patients and had worked to build a rapport. Where patients wished to attend the practice, reception ensured appointments were given at a suitable time and often offered patients the last appointment of the day to ensure the environment was calm.

Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP
Chief Inspector of General Practice