The Care Quality Commission
  • Doctor
  • GP practice

Teams Medical Practice

Overall: Outstanding read more about inspection ratings

Watson Street, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, NE8 2PQ (0191) 460 4239

Provided and run by:
Teams Medical Practice

All Inspections

6 July 2023

During a monthly review of our data

We carried out a review of the data available to us about Teams Medical Practice on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.

This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.

If you have concerns about Teams Medical Practice, you can give feedback on this service.

1 February 2020

During an annual regulatory review

We reviewed the information available to us about Teams Medical Practice on 1 February 2020. We did not find evidence of significant changes to the quality of service being provided since the last inspection. As a result, we decided not to inspect the surgery at this time. We will continue to monitor this information about this service throughout the year and may inspect the surgery when we see evidence of potential changes.

17 Dec TO 17 Dec

During a routine inspection

Previous inspection January 2015 – rated at outstanding overall (outstanding for the provision of safe, effective, caring and well-led services; good for the provision of responsive services).

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Teams Medical Practice on 17 December 2018 as part of our inspection programme.

We based our judgement of the quality of care at this service is on a combination of:

  • what we found when we inspected
  • information from our ongoing monitoring of data about services and
  • information from the provider, patients, the public and other organisations.

We have rated this practice as outstanding overall.

We rated the practice as outstanding for effective services because:

  • Quality Outcome Framework (QOF) attainment rates were higher than local and national averages. Although some clinical exception reporting was also higher than local and national averages the practice were doing all they could to encourage patients to attend long term condition reviews.
  • The provider had also introduced the Year of Care approach to caring for and reviewing patients with musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions such as osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, inflammatory arthropathies, fibromyalgia, connective tissue disorders and gout as well as coeliac disease and on-diabetic hyperglycaemia.
  • Patients received effective care and treatment that met their needs
  • The practice offered e-consultations.

We rated the practice as outstanding for caring services because:

  • Feedback from patients was consistently positive and was higher than local and national averages.
  • There was a strong person-centred culture.
  • The practice placed a significant importance on community engagement and collaborative working to make the area a better place to live for local residents.
  • Then practice website was easy to navigate and online services easy to use.

We rated the practice as outstanding for providing responsive services because:

  • Services were tailored to meet the needs of individual patients. They were delivered in a flexible way that ensured choice and continuity of care.
  • There were innovative approaches to providing integrated person-centred care.
  • The practice had identified areas where there were gaps in provision locally and had taken steps to address them. For example, the practice had a fibro scanner and were able to screen patients for fatty liver of those at high risk of cirrhosis

We rated the practice as outstanding for providing well-led services because:

  • The culture of the practice and the way it was led and managed drove the delivery and improvement of sustained high-quality, person-centred care.

These outstanding areas benefitted all population groups which has resulted in all population groups being rated as outstanding. .

We also rated the practice as good for providing safe services because:

  • The practice provided care in a way that kept patients safe and protected them from avoidable harm.
  • Patients received effective care and treatment that met their needs.

We saw several areas of outstanding practice including:

  • The practice had established excellent links with the local community and strove to promote health and wellbeing within the local area
  • The practice was involved in developing a foodbank in the local community centre. In addition, practice staff were collecting and distribute sanitary products to women unable to afford these products as part of a period poverty project.
  • The practice had a fibro scanner and were able to screen patients for fatty liver of those at high risk of cirrhosis
  • The practice had recruited practice health champions who were actively involved in the running of the practice and in promoting health and wellbeing initiatives including a weekly well-established walking group.

Details of our findings and the evidence supporting our ratings are set out in the evidence tables.

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

13 January 2015

During a routine inspection

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection of Team Medical Practice on 13 January 2015. Overall the practice is rated as outstanding. An innovative, caring, effective, responsive and well-led service is provided that meets the needs of the population served.

Our key findings were as follows:

  • Staff understood and fulfilled their responsibilities to raise concerns and report incidents and near misses. All opportunities for learning from internal and external incidents were maximised, external agencies were informed of the outcome if they were involved. There were strong comprehensive safety systems in place.
  • The practice had scored very well on clinical indicators within the quality outcomes framework (QOF). They achieved 99.8% for the year 2013/14, which was above the average in England of 96.47%. The QOF is part of the General Medical Services (GMS) contract for general practices. Practices are rewarded for the provision of quality care.
  • Patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and they were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment. Patients commented that they thought they received a very good service from the practice.
  • The practice had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs. Patients we spoke with and comments cards indicated that it was relatively easy to obtain an appointment. Some patients told us they had changed practices to Teams Medical Practice from other local practices for this reason; the practice had a good reputation in relation to patients being able to obtain an appointment.

We saw several areas of outstanding practice including:

  • The practice used innovative and proactive methods to improve patient outcomes, working with other local providers to share best practice. For example, they offered dedicated services for substance misuse. The lead GP had a clinical interest in this area; they were a research associate in substance misuse, at a local university. There were two clinics a week and close working with the substance misuse team.
  • The latest GP Patient Survey completed in 2013/14 showed almost all patients were very satisfied with the services the practice offered. The proportion of patients who would recommend this practice was 97.5%, which far exceeded the national average of 79.1%.
  • All Staff received 360 degree feedback every year as part of the appraisal process. 360 degree feedback is a system or process in which employees receive confidential, anonymous feedback from the people who work around them. This shows the practice used innovative approaches to gather feedback from staff.
  • The practice were innovative in their attempts to engage with patients and made use of social media to do this. For example they had introduced a Facebook page and twitter account in recent months to engage with patients, patients could also sign up to receive the practice newsletter by email.
  • There was good leadership and a strong learning culture and the staff had a clear vision, with quality and safety as their top priority. Staff responded to change and were encouraged to bring suggestions for improvement. We saw a high level of constructive staff engagement and staff satisfaction.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice