The Care Quality Commission
  • Doctor
  • GP practice

Timperley Health Centre - Westwood

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

169 Grove Lane, Timperley, Altrincham, Cheshire, WA15 6PH (0161) 980 3751

Provided and run by:
Timperley Health Centre - Westwood

Important: A review of one or more of the ratings contained within the inspection report has been carried out at the request of the provider. Further to the review the ratings within this report have changed.

All Inspections

During an assessment under our new approach

Date of Assessment: 29 April 2026. Timperley Health Centre – Dr Westwood is a GP practice and delivers services to approximately 6400 people under a contract held with NHS England. It is in a health centre building that it shares with another GP practice. According to the latest available data, the ethnic make-up of the service area is approximately 82.6% White, 10.5% Asian, 3.1% Mixed, 1.8% Black and 2.0% Other. Information published by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities shows deprivation within the service population group is in the 10th decile (10 of 10). The lower the decile, the more deprived the service population is relative to others.
This was a focused assessment. We undertook this assessment due to the length of time since our last assessment. We assessed 10 quality statements from across all 5 key questions. This assessment considered the demographics of the people using the service, the context the service was working within and how this impacted service delivery. Where relevant, further commentary is provided in the quality statements section of this report.
Staff kept facilities clean and maintained equipment appropriately to ensure people were kept safe. They assessed and managed the risk of infection well and took steps to control the risk of it spreading. There were enough staff with the right skills, qualifications and experience.
Staff supported people to live healthier lives, monitoring their care and treatment to ensure they received positive and consistent outcomes.
Staff treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion, and respected their privacy and dignity.
People could access care, treatment and support when they needed it. Leaders and staff were alert to discrimination and inequality that could disadvantage groups of people who used the service and sought ways to address any barriers.
The service had a clear vision and strategy, which considered the needs of the people who used their service and the wider community. Staff understood their individual roles and responsibilities. Leaders accounted for the actions, behaviours and performance of staff through clear and effective governance processes.
 

24/01/2017

During a routine inspection

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at the practice of Timperley Health Centre - Westwood on 24 January 2017. Overall the practice is now rated as good.

The practice had been previously inspected on 21 January 2016. Following that inspection the practice was rated as requires improvement with the following domain ratings:

Safe – Requires Improvement

Effective – Requires improvement

Caring – Good

Responsive – Good

Well led – Requires improvement.

The practice provided us with an action plan detailing how they were going to make the required improvements.

The inspection on 24 January 2017 was to confirm the required actions had been completed and award a new rating if appropriate.

Following this re-inspection on 24 January 2017, our key findings across all the areas we inspected were as follows:

  • Staff understood and fulfilled their responsibilities to raise concerns and to report incidents and near misses. Information about safety was recorded, monitored, appropriately reviewed and addressed.
  • Risks to patients were assessed and well managed, including those relating to recruitment checks.
  • Patients’ needs were assessed and care was planned and delivered following best practice guidance. Staff had received training appropriate to their roles and any further training needs had been identified and planned.
  • Data showed patient outcomes were at or above average when compared to those locally and nationally.
  • Feedback from patients about their care was strongly positive,
  • Patients said they were in the main treated with compassion, dignity and respect and they were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment.
  • The practice implemented suggestions for improvements and made changes to the way it delivered services as a result of feedback from patients.
  • Information about services and how to complain was available and easy to understand.
  • Patients said they found it easy to make an appointment with a named GP and there was continuity of care, with urgent appointments available the same day.
  • 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.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

21 January 2016

During a routine inspection

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Timperley Health Centre (Westwood) on 21 January 2016. Overall the practice is rated as requires improvement.

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

  • Staff did not fully understood and fulfill their responsibilities to raise concerns, and to report incidents and near misses. Reviews and investigations were not always thorough enough. Patients did not always receive a verbal and/or written apology when they complained..
  • Most risks to patients were assessed and well managed, with the exception of those relating to security of prescription pads and safeguarding training.
  • Data showed patient outcomes were higher than the local and national averages in several areas.
  • Although some clinical and other audits were provided that had been carried out, we saw no evidence that two-cycle audits were completed.
  • Patients without exception said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect. However, not all felt listened to.

  • Information about services was available and easily understandable with interpreter services for patients who did not speak English.

  • Urgent appointments were always available on the day they were requested and patients could book appointments over the telephone with ease and also on-line.
  • The practice had a number of policies and procedures to govern activity which were reviewed regularly.
  • The practice had proactively sought feedback from patients but negative feedback was not always acted upon.
  • There was no active patient participation group.

The areas where the provider must make improvements are:

  • Ensure that all verbal comments and complaints are escalated by all staff so that they can be adequately investigated.

  • Engage in regular and formally minuted clinical meetings with clinical staff to discuss patients and partake in multi-disciplinary meetings to discuss palliative care patients, vulnerable patients, patients at risk.
  • Act in an open and transparent way with relevant persons after becoming aware that a notifiable safety incident has occurred.

In addition the provider should:

  • Carry out pro-active clinical audits and re-audits to show improvements in patient outcomes.
  • Implement a system to review all verbal complaints/comments and monitor that appropriate action is taken.
  • Implement a wider system of clinical peer review within the practice.
  • Ensure that all staff understand the requirement to identify and record patients who are carers and offer appropriate support
  • Engage an active patient participation group
  • Ensure Level 3 safeguarding training is completed by all GPs
  • Implement a system that assures all clinical staff are keeping up to date with relevant clinical guidance i.e. NICE
  • Ensure the planned appraisal programme is completed

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice