England’s Chief Inspector of General Practice has found the quality of services provided by Leyburn Medical Practice, in Brentwood, Leyburn to be Outstanding following an inspection by the Care Quality Commission.
Under CQC’s programme of inspections, all of England’s GP practices are given a rating in five key areas; are they; safe, effective, caring, responsive and well led.
A full report of the inspection has been published.
Alison Holbourn, Deputy Chief Inspector of General Practice said:
"It is clear that Leyburn Medical Practice is providing an effective, responsive and well-led service which is an asset to people living in Leyburn. To get rated as Outstanding is a real achievement.
“We saw a surgery that recognised the challenges of being a rural practice, but didn’t allow this to stop them providing great care that was responsive to people’s needs. Leyburn Medical Practice worked closely with partners including district nurses to provide care for people closer to home, helping reduce the barriers faced by people in a rural setting to accessing healthcare.
“Staff were well trained for their roles and we found a good culture of continuous learning and improvement with a real desire to secure the best outcomes for patients. For example additional training undertaken by one of the GPs meant that the practice was able to provide a dermatology service with specialist equipment.
“This was also reflected in what patients told us. People praised the practice highly and told us that they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect as well as being involved in their care and decisions about their treatment.
“This is a great example of what outstanding care looks like.”
Inspectors found several areas of outstanding practice.
Leyburn Medical Practice employs a paramedic practitioner as the nearest accident and emergency is 18 miles away. This enabled the practice to have a minor injuries service.
The leadership team at the practice drove continuous improvement, and helped staff to feel motivated and involved in delivering change. There was a proactive approach to seeking out new ways of treatment and recognised effective care by rewarding staff.
The practice had devised and implemented pre-appointment questionnaires that were sent out to patients suffering from asthma and coronary heart disease as they had recognised that there was a high proportion of these patients who did not attend for reviews. This system allowed the practice to reach out to these patients, be updated on their condition and to detect and call in those who needed additional treatment. They were able to demonstrate a year on year increase in asthma reviews.
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For further information please contact CQC Regional Engagement Officer Kerri James by email kerri.james@cqc.org.uk or by phone on 07464 92 9966.
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They worked closely with partners including district nurses to provide care for people closer to home.
Alison Holbourn, Deputy Chief Inspector of General Practice