Wharfedale Dermatology Clinic

Updated 25 January 2019

Wharfedale Dermatology Clinic is a service provided by Grange Park Surgery under a contract commissioned by the Airedale, Wharfedale and Craven Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG). The clinic operates from Springs Medical Centre, Ilkley, West Yorkshire, LS29 8TH.

The clinic provides medical diagnostic and treatment services for the provision of community based dermatology for NHS patients with a skin condition that cannot be managed by their own GP. Services offered include treatments for eczema, psoriasis and alopecia (hair loss). There are no restrictions to the age of patients treated by the service.

Patients are referred to the clinic by their own GP to receive treatment. Care is delivered by two male GPs with a special interest (GPwSI) in dermatology and one female GP who was being supported to undertake additional dermatology training at the time of our inspection. Additional expertise is provided by a consultant dermatologist who is able to provide advice and support for more complex dermatological conditions. The specialist clinicians were supported by a health care assistant and a small team of administrative staff.

The clinic operates at the following times:

Tuesday: 8am until 11am and 1.30pm until 3.30pm

Friday: 8am until 11.30am

The service is registered with the CQC under the Health and Social Care Act to provide the following regulated activities:

• Diagnostic and screening
• Treatment of disease, disorder or injury
• Surgical procedures

We inspected this service on 7 December 2018. Our inspection team was led by a CQC lead inspector. The team included a GP specialist adviser.

To get to the heart of patients’ experiences of care and treatment, we always ask the following five questions:

• Is it safe?
• Is it effective?
• Is it caring?
• Is it responsive to people’s needs?
• Is it well-led?

These questions therefore formed the framework for the areas we looked at during the inspection.

Updated 25 January 2019

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Wharfedale Dermatology Clinic on 11 July 2016. Overall the practice is rated as good for providing safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led care for all of the population groups it serves.

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

• The ethos and culture of the service was to provide high levels of care and a good quality service.

• Patients told us they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and were involved in care and decisions about their treatment.

• Patients’ needs were assessed and care was planned and delivered following best practice guidance.

• The clinic had good facilities and was well equipped to treat and meet the needs of patients. Information regarding the services provided by the practice and how to make a complaint was readily available for patients.

• Patients we spoke with were positive about access to the service. They said they found it generally easy to make an appointment, there was continuity of care.

• The service of, and complied with, the requirements of the duty of candour. (The duty of candour is a set of specific legal requirements that providers of services must follow when things go wrong with care and treatment.)

• The service a culture of openness and honesty which was reflected in their approach to safety.

• Risks to patients were assessed and well managed.

• There were comprehensive safeguarding systems in place.

• The practice sought patient views how improvements could be made to the service, through the use of patient surveys and the NHS Friends and Family Test.

• There was a clear leadership structure, s

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice