Holbeach Medical Centre has made sufficient improvements to now be rated as “good” by the independent regulator for health and social care.
The Care Quality Commission was pleased with what it saw during a return visit, having said in October 2014 that it required improvement.
The practice in Park Road, which has 7,800 patients on the books, was rated “good” across all four inspection areas – it is safe, effective, responsive and well-led.
Evidence was also noted of improvements with care of older people, patients with long-term conditions, people whose circumstances may make them vulnerable and patients experiencing poor mental health (including people with dementia). These were all population groups which had been identified as having areas of care which last year needed improvement.
The CQC report says the practice has “a sizeable proportion of patients from eastern Europe”. Last year the regulator found there was no translation service in place, but there is now a telephone-based system.
The report also notes:
- Patients were kept safe by efficient risk assessment and the thorough investigation of significant events
- There were good procedures in place for the management of medicines
- GPs and other clinicians regularly referred to guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence to ensure safe and effective care of patients
- There was effective management of the chronic illnesses and disease through systematic review of patients
- Practice policies designed to govern activity and keep people safe were relevant and regularly reviewed
- A programme of continuous clinical and internal audit was used to monitor quality and to make improvements
- The practice had deeply embedded values and a clear vision of the future
Prof Steve Field said: “We carried out an announced focused inspection at Holbeach Medical Centre on 12 August 2015.
“Overall the practice is rated as good. Specifically, we found the practice to be good for providing safe, effective, responsive and well-led services.”
