Borough Road and Nunthorpe Medical Group

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Borough Rd and Nunthorpe Medical Group on 12 January 2016. Overall the practice is rated as good.

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

• There was an open and transparent approach to safety and an effective system in place for reporting and recording significant events.
• Risks to patients were assessed and well managed.
• Staff assessed patients’ needs and delivered care in line with current evidence based guidance. Staff had been trained to provide them with the skills, knowledge and experience to deliver effective care and treatment.
• Patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and they were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment.
• Information about services and how to complain was available and easy to understand. Improvements were made to the quality of care as a result of complaints and concerns.
• 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.
• The provider was aware of and complied with the requirements of the duty of candour.

We saw areas of outstanding practice:

• Following requests from patient groups the practice ran two pilot courses of Acupuncture and Pilates each consisting of six sessions. In total there was potential for 106 sessions. The aim was to improve outcomes for people with a variety of issues such as pain, addiction and stress. Also to support healthy lifestyles and educating the population. A patient participation group (PPG) met regularly, carried out patient surveys and submitted proposals for improvements to the practice management team. They had organised coffee mornings and carried out ‘meet and greet sessions’ at the practice which identified to patients who they were and gather their opinions about the practice. The PPG identified that a ‘befriending service’ would help some patients.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice