Vesta Road Surgery

This practice is rated as Good overall. (Previous inspection November 2016 rated – Good overall, Requires Improvement for Caring).

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Vesta Road Surgery on 30 May 2018. inspection programme.

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

As part of our inspection process, we also look at the quality of care for specific population groups. The population groups are rated as:

Older People – Good

People with long-term conditions – Good

Families, children and young people – Good

Working age people (including those recently retired and students – Good

People whose circumstances may make them vulnerable – Good

People experiencing poor mental health (including people with dementia) - Good

At this inspection we found:

• The practice still scored below the national average in the National GP Patient Survey in relation to consultation satisfaction with both doctors and nurses. However, the practice had taken action to address lower scoring areas in the NHS national patient survey.
• 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.
• The practice had implemented defined and embedded systems to minimise risks to patient safety.
• Staff were aware of current evidence based guidance. Staff had been trained to provide them with the skills and knowledge to deliver effective care and treatment.
• The practice routinely reviewed the effectiveness and appropriateness of the care it provided. It ensured that care and treatment was delivered according to evidence- based guidelines.
• Some of the patients we spoke with said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and they were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment.
• All of the 24 patient Care Quality Commission comment cards we received were positive about the service experienced.
• Information about services and how to complain was available. 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.
• There was a strong focus on continuous learning and improvement at all levels of the organisation.

We saw one area of outstanding practice:

• The practice had chosen to provide GP services to a local nursing home. The practice initiated a programme of change from a paper based patient care record system to an electronic one. The service helped to establish a wireless connection in the care home so that a laptop could be connected and care records could be accessed by the bedside of patients to improve recording and treatment.

The areas where the provider should make improvements are:

• The practice should continue to monitor patient satisfaction about patient involvement in decisions about their care, and take action when necessary to improve satisfaction
• The practice should review actions to address lower scores in the uptake of national childhood immunisations.

Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGPChief Inspector of General Practice