The Care Quality Commission
  • Doctor
  • GP practice

Westrop Medical Practice Also known as Westrop Surgery

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

Newburgh Place, Highworth, Swindon, Wiltshire, SN6 7DN (01793) 762218

Provided and run by:
Westrop 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 Westrop 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 Westrop Medical Practice, you can give feedback on this service.

30 January 2020

During a routine inspection

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Westrop Medical Practice on 30 January 2020 as part of our inspection programme.

We carried out an inspection of this service following our annual review of the information available to us including information provided by the practice. Our review indicated that there may have been a significant change (either deterioration or improvement) to the quality of care provided since the last inspection in August 2016 due to a significant expansion of the practice by its merger with two other local practices. In addition, we also followed up on concerns and breaches of regulation identified at the Taw Hill Medical Practice inspection under the old provider of this location. This was to ensure improvements had been made and patients were receiving safe care and treatment.

When we last inspected Westrop Medical Practice in August 2016 it had been rated as good overall; good for providing safe, effective, caring, responsive and well led services and good for all the population groups.

At the time of that inspection Westrop Medical Practice consisted of a main practice, in the market town of Highworth, and a small branch surgery located in the village of Blunsdon. Since then, two other local surgeries have merged with Westrop Medical Practice; The Hermitage Surgery in 2017 and, more recently, Taw Hill Surgery in October 2019. We visited Highworth Surgery, Blunsdon surgery and Taw Hill Surgery as part of this inspection.

This inspection focused on the following key questions:

  • Are services safe?
  • Are services effective?
  • Are services caring?
  • Are services responsive?
  • Are services well led?

We based our judgement of the quality of care at this service 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 Westrop Medical Practice as good overall; good for providing safe, effective, caring, responsive and well led services and good for all the population groups because:

  • At this inspection, we found all of the concern areas from the last Taw Hill site inspection had been improved. We saw evidence that by being integrated within Westrop Medical Practice and adopting their policies, procedures and methods of working, these areas had been addressed and improvements made.
  • Patients’ needs were assessed, and care and treatment was delivered in line with current legislation, standards and evidence-based guidance supported by clear pathways and tools.
  • The practice had a comprehensive programme of quality improvement activity and routinely reviewed the effectiveness and appropriateness of the care provided.
  • Staff had the skills, knowledge and experience to deliver effective care, support and treatment.
  • Staff worked together and with other organisations to deliver effective care and treatment.
  • There was compassionate, inclusive and effective leadership at all levels. This included working with and supporting the practice Patient Participation group (PPG).
  • The practice had a clear vision and set of values that prioritised quality and sustainability.
  • The practice had a culture that drove high quality sustainable care.
  • There were clear responsibilities, roles and systems of accountability to support good governance and management.
  • There were clear and effective processes for managing risks, issues and performance.

Although we did not find any beaches of regulation on this inspection, we did see areas where the provider should make improvements. These are:

  • Continue to monitor exception reporting rates to ensure they are applied accurately and in line with guidance.
  • Review processes to provide consistent and appropriate authorisations to administer medicines when Patient Group Directions are updated.
  • Continue to review arrangements to improve the uptake of cervical screening.

We did, however, find examples of outstanding practice particularly about the work put in by all practice members in the integration and merging of Taw Hill surgery into Westrop Medical Practice. This included:

  • The responsiveness shown by the practice in responding to patient and staff dissatisfaction at Taw Hill.
  • Improved governance and leadership
  • Improved engagement with patients, staff and external partners.

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

Dr Rosie Benneyworth BM BS BMedSci MRCGP

Chief Inspector of Primary Medical Services and Integrated Care

30 August 2016

During a routine inspection

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

In March 2016 a comprehensive inspection of Westrop Medical Practice was conducted. The practice was rated as requires improvement for safe and good for effective, caring, responsive and well led. Overall the practice was rated as good. During that inspection we found that the practice was not compliant with the legislation in relation to nurses administering vaccines and medicines in accordance with written instructions.

We also advised the provider that they should ensure a GP or nurse takes responsibility for the exemption of patients with long term conditions from national indicators for monitoring these conditions and review the number of patients identified as carers and seek to increase the numbers identified.

The report setting out the findings of the inspection was published in April 2016. Following the inspection we asked the practice to provide an action plan detailing how they would improve on the areas of concern.

We carried out an announced desk top inspection of Westrop Medical Practice on 30 August 2016 to ensure the changes the practice told us they would make had been implemented and to apply an updated rating.

We found the practice had made significant improvement since our last inspection on 10 March 2016. Following this desk top review we rated the practice as good for providing safe services. The overall rating for the practice remains good. For this reason we have only rated the location for the key question to which this related. This report should be read in conjunction with the full inspection report of 10 March 2016.

At this inspection we found:

  • Systems were in place to ensure that nurses were administering vaccines and medicines in accordance with written instructions.

  • The GP was reviewing patients with long term conditions ensuring the correct follow up were in place before any patients were excepted from a review.

  • The practice had implemented improvements to help identify carers to offer support.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

10 March 2016

During a routine inspection

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Westrop Medical Practice on 10 March 2016. Overall the practice is rated as good. Specifically we found the practice good for provision of effective, caring, responsive and well led services.. However, the practice is rated as requires improvement for provision of safe services as improvement in systems to manage medicines was required.

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.
  • The majority of risks to patients were assessed and well managed.
  • Staff assessed patients’ needs and delivered care in line with current evidence based guidance. Staff had 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.
  • Patients said they found it easy to make an appointment with a named GP 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.
  • The provider was aware of and complied with the requirements of the Duty of Candour.
  • The practice employed a physiotherapist which had resulted in the waiting time for physiotherapy assessment being reduced from five months to two weeks.
  • A range of care professionals visited the practice which helped patients avoid time consuming trips to services located in Swindon. For example, psychologists, midwives and podiatrists provided clinics at the practice.
  • The practice worked with a ‘community navigator’ in supporting patients who had been discharged from hospital and elderly patients with complex health and social needs.

  • The practice had close contact with carers and hosted a carers meeting meeting on a regular basis.

  • The practice took part in innovative projects to deliver services close to the patients home. For example, teledermatology helped reduce the need for attendance at hospital clinics and the appointment of a prescribing pharmacist was underway to offer a wider range of appointments for patients.

We an example of outstanding practice:

  • The waiting time for physiotherapy assessment had been reduced from five months to two weeks by appointing a practice based physiotherapist.

The area where the provider must make improvement is:

  • Ensuring compliance with legislation relating to nurses administering vaccines and medicines in accordance with written instructions.

The area where the provider should make improvement is:

  • Ensuring a GP or nurse takes responsibility for the exemption of patients with long term conditions from national indicators for monitoring these conditions.

  • To review the number of patients identified as carers and seek to increase the numbers identified.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice