The Care Quality Commission
  • Doctor
  • GP practice

The Great Sutton Medical Centre - Green

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

Old Chester Road, Great Sutton, Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, CH66 3SP (0151) 339 3126

Provided and run by:
The Great Sutton Medical Centre - Green

All Inspections

9/12/2021

During an inspection looking at part of the service

We carried out an announced inspection at The Great Sutton Medical Centre – Green on 9 December 2021. This inspection was focused on the management of access to appointments.

Overall, the practice remains rated as Good.

The full reports for previous inspections can be found by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for The Great Sutton Medical Centre – Green on our website at www.cqc.org.uk

Why we carried out this inspection

This inspection was undertaken in response to data and information we reviewed which suggested potential issues with access to appointments.

How we carried out the inspection

The inspection was led by a CQC lead inspector who spoke with staff on site.

Interviews were carried out with the practice manager, business manager, office manager and reception manager.

We found that:

  • People were able to access appointments in a timely way.
  • Action was taken to minimise the length of time people waited for care, treatment or advice.
  • The practice offered a range of appointment types.
  • People were able to make appointments in a way that meets their needs.
  • There were systems in place to support people who face communication barriers to access treatment.
  • People with the most urgent need had their care and treatment prioritised.
  • Information was available to support people understand how to access services.
  • There were enough staff to provide appointments and prevent staff from working excessive hours. Additional staff were employed.
  • There were systems in place to monitor access to appointments and make improvements. The practice was proactive in their approach and take action to improve access.

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

21 March 2017

During a routine inspection

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at The Great Sutton Medical Centre – Green on 16 March 2016. The overall rating for the practice was requires improvement. The full comprehensive report on the March 2016 inspection can be found by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for The Great Sutton Medical Centre – Green on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

This inspection was an announced comprehensive inspection carried out on 21 March 2017. Overall the practice is now rated as good.

Our key findings were as follows

  • There were systems in place to reduce risks to patient safety, for example, equipment checks were carried out, there were systems to protect patients from the risks associated with insufficient staffing levels and medicines management.
  • Staff understood and fulfilled their responsibilities to raise concerns and report incidents and near misses. Staff were aware of procedures for safeguarding patients from the risk of abuse.
  • Patients’ needs were assessed and care was planned and delivered following best practice guidance.
  • Staff felt supported. They had access to training and development opportunities.
  • Patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect. We saw that staff treated patients with kindness and respect.
  • Services were planned and delivered to take into account the needs of different patient groups.

  • Access to the service was monitored to ensure it met the needs of patients.

  • There was a system in place to manage complaints.
  • There were systems in place to monitor and improve quality and identify risk.

However, there were areas of practice where the provider should make improvements.

The provider should:

  • Carry out a periodic review of significant events to enable the effectiveness of actions introduced to be assessed and any trends to be identified.

  • The practice should look at consistent methods of keeping locum GPs up to date with any signicficant information such as changes to practice.

  • Provide staff with further training on the new electronic system (Intradoc) to record and share information about the operation of the practice.

  • Ensure that a record is maintained of the reason why fridge temperatures are outside the recommended temperature range and the action taken.

  • Ensure that emergency medication in glass containers is secure to guard against breakage.

  • The salaried GP should have an in-house appraisal in addition to the external appraisal process.
  • Encourage the uptake of carers on the practice register.
  • The practice should look at a representative from the nursing team attending their GP clinical meetings which would enable them to feedback to the regular nursing meetings that are now held.
  • A survey should be undertaken to establish the current levels of patient satisfaction with access given the changes introduced. Surveys should be specific to patients from this practice.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

16th March 2016

During a routine inspection

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at The Great Sutton Medical Centre – Green on 16th March 2016.

Overall the practice is rated as requires improvement.

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

  • There were systems in place to protect patients from risks to their safety, for example, the systems around ensuring sufficient staffing and overall, there were systems in place to ensure medication was safely managed. However we identified improvements that needed to be made to ensure the practice was operating safely.
  • Patients’ needs were assessed and care was planned and delivered following best practice guidance. The practice worked with other social and healthcare professionals to meet the needs of patients.
  • Staff felt supported. They had received an annual appraisal and said they had access to the training they needed. The system for identifying the training needs of staff and ensuring that all staff undertook the training they required for their roles needed revision.
  • Patients we spoke with and who returned comment cards were very positive about the care they received from the practice. They commented that they were treated with respect and dignity and that staff were caring, supportive and helpful.
  • Services were planned and delivered to take into account the needs of different patient groups.

  • Access to the service was monitored to ensure it met the needs of patients. The National GP Patient Survey January 2016 (data collected from January-March 2015 and July-September 2015) showed dissatisfaction with access, for example around getting through to the practice by telephone and access to appointments. Changes had been made to address these issues. Patients spoken with said that they were generally able to get an appointment when one was needed, in particular for urgent issues and that they were happy with the opening hours. Some responses from comment cards indicated continuing issues with access.

  • There were systems in place to monitor and improve quality and identify risk. However improvements were needed. The systems in place to monitor the training provided to staff, to ensure policies and procedures were up to date and provided clear guidance to staff and for ensuring health and safety checks took place at the recommended frequencies required revision. Improvements were needed to the recording of meetings and to the regularity of meetings amongst the administrative staff. The work being undertaken to ensure all patients received the health checks they needed at the recommended frequencies needed to continue to demonstrate an improvement to patient outcomes.

  • The practice sought feedback from staff and patients, which it acted on. There was an active patient participation group.

  • The practice was aware of future challenges and had identified possible service improvements.

There were areas of practice where the provider must make improvements are:

  • Ensure that there are systems in place for the management of significant events and that all staff are aware of the reporting process. Ensure there are clear processes for disseminating learning and actions following a significant event investigation and a clear system for review to ensure that actions identified have been and continue to be carried out.

  • Ensure that there is a record of the required recruitment information to confirm the suitability of staff employed.

  • Ensure there is an effective system for identifying the training needs of staff and ensuring that all staff undertake the training they require for their roles.

  • Ensure there is a system in place to update all policies and procedures in line with current guidance and provide clear guidance to staff.

The areas where the provider should make improvements are:

  • Ensure the system put in place for the safe management of prescriptions is maintained and all staff are aware of it.

  • Carry out a review of the most recent infection control audit to identify that actions taken have been effective and to assess which actions remain outstanding. A timescale for addressing outstanding actions needs to be identified.

  • Put a system in place to ensure all health and safety checks are carried out at the recommended frequencies.

  • Nationally published data showed patient outcomes were lower for some long term conditions when compared to local and national averages. The systems for monitoring that patients were receiving the health care checks they needed at the recommended frequencies needs to continue to ensure that there is an improvement to patient outcomes.

  • The system in place for monitoring verbal complaints should be reviewed.

  • Review the arrangements for recording staff meetings and to the regularity of meetings amongst the administrative staff.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

02 June 2014

During a routine inspection

The Great Sutton Medical Centre (Green) is one of three General Practitioner (GP) practices in the Great Sutton Medical Centre Group. It is based in Great Sutton, near Ellesmere Port. The practice has four GP partners and two salaried GPs. It is a teaching practice and had two trainee doctors at the time of the inspection. The practice also has three practice nurses, a healthcare assistant and administration staff. There are 7521 patients registered with the practice. The practice is open from 8.00am to 6.30pm Monday to Friday. Patients access the ‘extended hours’ service for routine appointments from 6.30pm to 8.00pm Monday to Friday and 10.00 am to12.00pm on Saturday mornings. The practice treats patients of all ages and provides a range of medical services. The practice is registered with the Care Quality Commission to deliver the regulated activities:

  • Diagnostic and screening procedures
  • Family planning
  • Maternity and midwifery services
  • Surgical procedures
  • Treatment of disease, disorder or injury

Patients we spoke with and those who completed CQC comments cards were positive about the care they received from the practice. They commented that staff were caring, helpful and respectful.

The practice has a good track record for maintaining patient safety. The practice is making changes following an internal infection control audit in April 2014. We highlighted additional areas for improving infection control standards during the inspection.

The practice works with other health and social care providers.

The practice is responsive to patient feedback and has an active patient participation group (PPG). They have responded to concerns about difficulties contacting the practice by introducing an automated telephone system. This enables callers to select from a menu of choices which best met their needs. The practice is actively seeking feedback from patients about this new service.

The practice has a clear vision and set of values which are understood by staff and evident on the practice website.

The practice provides a service for all population groups safely and effectively. Staff are caring and responsive to the needs of patients, supported by best practice guidelines.