The Care Quality Commission
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Gatley Group Practice

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

Old Hall Road, Gatley, Cheadle, Cheshire, SK8 4DG (0161) 426 5100

Provided and run by:
Gatley Group Practice

All Inspections

During an assessment under our new approach

Date of Assessment: Thursday 8 October 2026. Gatley Medical Practice is a GP practice and delivers services to approximately 10331 people under a contract held with NHS England. According to the latest available data, the ethnic make-up of the service area is approximately 72.2% White, 18.6% Asian, 3.2% Mixed, 1.4% Black and 4.6% Other. Information published by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities shows deprivation within the service population group is in the 10 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 12 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.

Safe:

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. Clinical searches were carried out on behalf of the practice by the Stockport Integrated Pharmacy Service (SIPS). As part of the inspection process clinical searches were completed on patients records which showed certain patients had not been recalled for regular monitoring. The searches were not being completed correctly which put patients at potential risk of harm. Effective:

Staff supported people to live healthier lives, they did not always monitor their care and treatment to ensure they received positive and consistent outcomes. Staff followed the latest evidence and good practice when providing care and treatment.

Caring:

Staff treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion, and respected their privacy and dignity. National GP Patient Survey results and Friends and Family Test results showed us that people felt the service treated them with kindness dignity and respect.

Responsive:

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 ensured that staff completed appropriate training relevant to their specific role.

Well-led:

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.

06 Jun 2018

During a routine inspection

This practice is rated as Good overall. (Previous inspection 20 October 2015 – Good)

The key questions are rated as:

Are services safe? – Good

Are services effective? – Good

Are services caring? – Good

Are services responsive? – Good

Are services well-led? - Good

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Gatley Group Practice on 6 June 2018. This inspection was carried out under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. The inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

At this inspection we found:

•The practice had clear systems to manage risk so that safety incidents were less likely to happen. When incidents did happen, the practice learned from them and improved their processes.

•There was a strong focus on continuous learning and improvement at all levels of the organisation.

•Safety systems were comprehensive and actions were taken to prevent incidents and risks to patients. We noted that some recruitment information was not present.

•The practice routinely reviewed the effectiveness and appropriateness of the care it provided. It ensured care and treatment was delivered according to evidence- based guidelines.

•Clinicians had access to appropriate information to deliver safe care and treatment.

•Staff involved and treated patients with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.

•Patients found the appointment system easy to use and reported they were able to access care when they needed it. Patient feedback on the care and treatment delivered by all staff was overwhelmingly positive.

•There was a strong focus on continuous learning and improvement at all levels of the organisation.

We saw one areas of outstanding practice:

•Clinicians used 4G laptops on home visits to access patient records and complete electronic prescriptions.

The areas where the provider should make improvements are:

•Document recruitment information more fully particularly medical declarations.

•Improve the method of recording safety alerts.

•Document fire evacuation drills.

•Explore ways to provide patient information in a variety of formats.

Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP

Chief Inspector of General Practice

20/10/2015

During a routine inspection

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Gatley Group Practice on 20 October 2015. Overall the practice is rated as good.

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, and addressed.
  • Risks to patients were assessed and well managed.
  • 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.
  • Patients were extremely positive in their feedback to us about the care they received. They said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and they were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment. They told us that staff often went over and above their duties in order to ensure patients needs were met.
  • 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 GP or nurse and that 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.

We saw an area of outstanding practice:

  • The practice accepted registrations from patients who were resident outside the geographic boundaries of the surgery, as long as it was clinically safe to do so. This allowed for greater flexibility for patients who, perhaps due to work commitments, would find it easier to attend appointments in Gatley.

However there were areas of practice where the provider needs to make improvements.

The provider should:

  • Ensure learning outcomes are identified from clinical audit and disseminated to staff where appropriate to maximise opportunities for service improvement.
  • Review any changes to practice resulting from significant event analysis to ensure changes implemented have been effective.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice