We carried out a review of the data available to us about Saddleworth 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 Saddleworth Medical Practice, you can give feedback on this service.
We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Saddleworth Medical Practice on 12 May 2016. The overall rating for the practice was good, with a rating of requires improvement in the safe domain. The full comprehensive report on the May 2016 inspection can be found by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Saddleworth Medical Practice on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
This inspection was an announced focused inspection carried out on 16 August 2017 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 12 May 2016. This report covers our findings in relation to those requirements.
Overall the practice is rated as good.
Our key findings were as follows:
All required pre-employment checks were being carried out.
The registration of clinicians with the appropriate professional bodies was regularly checked.
Chief Inspector of General Practice
We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Saddleworth Medical Practice on 12 May 2016. Overall the practice is rated as good.
Our key findings across all the areas we inspected were as follows:
Information about services at the practice and locally was available.
There was an established patient participation group (PPG) that met regularly and provided support for the practice and patients.
We saw some areas of outstanding practice:
The practice had a youth worker (a member of the patient participation group) who attended the local high school to speak to patients about healthcare needs. This included explaining what services were available, and ensuring young people understood their right to a confidential consultation where appropriate. This made the service more accessible to the wider population.
The practice had a very active PPG that was integrated in the practice and the community. They had set up a carers’ group offering companionship, advice and trips to carers and those they cared for, and the group met in a local venue away from the practice. The PPG was active in keeping patients very well informed, and in arranging for other services to visit the practice and the area. This was particularly helpful as the practice was in a rural community and some services were several miles away.
When a patient was receiving end of life care GPs supported them during evenings and weekends to provide continuity of care. They provided families with their mobile telephone numbers. Most partners lived within the practice boundaries.
The areas where the provider must make improvements are:
The provider must ensure that all appropriate pre-employment checks are completed, and regular checks of professional registration are carried out.
In addition the provider should:
Display a warning sign on the door of rooms containing oxygen cylinders.
Put in place a system to ensure checks such as for fire extinguishers are carried out at the correct intervals.
Put a system in place to record all complaints, including verbal complaints. All responses should be recorded. Patients should be informed what action they could take if they were not happy with how their complaint had been handled.
Chief Inspector of General Practice