The Care Quality Commission
  • Doctor
  • GP practice

The Practice Old Hill

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

Priest House (Ground Floor), Priest Street, Cradley Heath, West Midlands, B64 6JN (01384) 566479

Provided and run by:
Chilvers & McCrea Limited

All Inspections

6 July 2023

During a monthly review of our data

We carried out a review of the data available to us about The Practice Old Hill 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 The Practice Old Hill, you can give feedback on this service.

22 September 2022

During a routine inspection

We carried out an announced focused inspection at The Practice Old Hill on 22 September 2022. Overall, the practice is rated as Good.

We rated the key questions inspected as follows:

Safe - good

Effective – good

Well-led – good

Following our previous inspection on 20 December 2016, the practice was rated good overall and for all key questions.

The full reports for previous inspections can be found by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for The Practice Old Hill on our website at www.cqc.org.uk

Why we carried out this inspection

We carried out this inspection as part of the CQC quality assurance process.

How we carried out the inspection

This inspection was carried out in a way which enabled us to spend a minimum amount of time on site.

This included:

  • Conducting clinical interviews using video conferencing.
  • Completing clinical searches on the practice’s patient records system (this was with consent from the provider and in line with all data protection and information governance requirements).
  • Reviewing patient records to identify issues and clarify actions taken by the provider.
  • Requesting evidence from the provider.
  • A short site visit.

Our findings

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 found that:

  • The practice provided care in a way that kept patients safe and protected them from avoidable harm.
  • Patients received effective care and treatment that met their needs.
  • The culture of the practice and the way it was led and managed drove the delivery and improvement of high-quality, person-centred care.
  • Staff dealt with patients with kindness and respect and involved them in decisions about their care.
  • There was a strong emphasis on learning and sharing outcomes with the whole team and external organisations to promote best practice.
  • All opportunities for learning from internal and external incidents were maximised. All learning was shared with staff regularly.
  • Leaders demonstrated they had the capacity and skills to deliver high quality, sustainable care.
  • There was effective leadership at all levels which supported innovation, implementation of processes and the continuous monitoring of patient care.
  • There was emphasis on staff wellbeing, and this was demonstrated through discussions with staff and evidence of appraisals.
  • Risk management processes were in place and we found assessments of risks had been completed. These included fire safety, health and safety, and infection control. This ensured that risks had been considered to ensure the safety of staff and patients and to mitigate any future risks.

The provider should:

  • Take action to improve the uptake of immunisations and cervical screening.

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

Dr Sean O’Kelly BSc MB ChB MSc DCH FRCA

Chief Inspector of Hospitals and Interim Chief Inspector of Primary Medical Services

20 December 2016

During a routine inspection

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at The Practice Old Hill on 20 December 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 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.

The areas where the provider should make improvement are:

  • Review its scheduled cleaning and infection control audit processes to ensure all practice equipment is cleaned and audited appropriately.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice