The Care Quality Commission
  • Doctor
  • GP practice

Handforth Health Centre

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

The Green, Wilmslow Road, Handforth, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 3HL (01625) 529421

Provided and run by:
Handforth Health Centre

All Inspections

During an assessment under our new approach

Date of assessment: 12 August to 20 August 2026. Handforth Health Centre is a GP practice and provides a range of primary medical services from its location, The Green, Wilmslow Road, Handforth, SK9 3HL. The practice delivers service to approximately 5,098 people under a contract held with NHS England.
Information published by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities shows that deprivation within the practice population group is in the 7th decile (7 of 10). The lower the decile, the more deprived the practice population is relative to others. The latest available data with regards to ethnicity of people in the local area showed this was 85.7% White, 7.5% Asian, 1.0% Black, Mixed 3.2% Other 2.6%. This assessment considered the demographics of the people using the service, the context the service was working within and how this impacted service delivery.
The practice provided safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led services. Leaders had established effective systems to identify, manage and learn from risks, and staff understood their responsibilities for delivering safe care. Care and treatment were informed by current evidence, supported by strong clinical outcomes and regular review of performance. Patients consistently reported positive experiences of the practice, describing staff as caring, supportive and respectful, while survey results were significantly above national averages across many areas. Services were organised around the needs of the local population, with leaders responding to feedback, reducing barriers to access and working collaboratively with partners to improve outcomes. Staff described a positive, inclusive and open culture, and governance arrangements supported continuous learning, improvement and sustainable service delivery. Where opportunities for improvement were identified, leaders took action and monitored the impact of those changes, demonstrating a commitment to providing high-quality care for patients.
 

14/09/2016

During a routine inspection

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Handforth Health Centre on 14 September 2016. 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 report incidents and near misses. Significant events had been investigated and action had been taken as a result of the learning from events.

  • Systems were in place to deal with medical emergencies and all staff were trained in basic life support.

  • There were systems in place to reduce risks to patient safety. For example, infection control practices were carried out appropriately and there were regular checks on the environment and on equipment used.

  • Staff assessed patients’ needs and delivered care in line with current evidence based guidance.

  • Feedback from patients about the care and treatment they received from clinicians was very positive.

  • Data showed that outcomes for patients at this practice were similar to outcomes for patients locally and nationally.

  • Staff had been trained to provide them with the skills, knowledge and experience to deliver effective care and treatment.

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

  • Patients said they found it easy to make an appointment and there was good continuity of care.

  • The appointments system was flexible to accommodate the needs of patients. Urgent appointments were available the same day and routine appointments could be booked in advance.

  • The practice had good facilities, including disabled access. It was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs.

  • Information about services and how to complain was available. Complaints had been investigated and responded to in a timely manner.

  • There was a clear leadership and staff structure and staff understood their roles and responsibilities.

  • The practice had a clear vision to provide a safe and high quality service.

  • The practice provided a range of enhanced services to meet the needs of the local population.

  • The practice sought patient views about improvements that could be made to the service. This included the practice having and consulting with a patient participation group (PPG).

We saw an area of outstanding practice:

The practice used the system of coding in the clinical system very effectively and they were proactive in contacting patients to ensure they received the monitoring, care and treatment they needed. The system was effective for the patient population and provided an added safety net for vulnerable patients.

Areas where the provider should make improvement:

  • Review the procedures for patient specific directions (PSDs) to ensure they support the safe administration of medicines.

  • Ensure that staff who provide chaperoning duties have undergone all required checks.

Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGPChief Inspector of General Practice

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice