From 'Inadequate' to 'Good' -- Kirkby GP practice praised by CQC inspectors

Kirkby Community Primary Care Centre, which has 6,900 patients on its books, was branded ‘Inadequate’ in four out of five categories when it was inspected by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in 2015.

It was one of only four surgeries in England at the time to be placed in ‘special measures’.

However, under different management, its latest CQC review has earned a ‘Good’ rating, with inspectors praising the practice for being safe, effective, caring and well-led.

A report says patients receive “effective care and treatment that meets their needs”, while staff show “kindness and respect” and also “speak highly of leaders”.

In turn, the CQC inspectors heard patients speak highly of the practice team and reported them to be “welcoming and kind”.

The Kirkby practice, which is located within Ashfield Health and Wellbeing Centre on Portland Street, is now run by Operose Health, a healthcare provider based in Buckinghamshire that is responsible for 66 GP surgeries across the country.

Operose is the largest NHS-funded primary care provider in England and cares for more than 600,000 patients. It is also the largest employer of GPs in England, and 97 per cent of its practices have a ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’ rating from the CQC.

The Kirkby practice is part of a group of seven GP practices that form the Ashfield South Primary Care Network. A practice manager and her assistant oversee a team of long-term locum GPs, an advanced nurse prescriber, two practice nurses, a healthcare assistant and a team of reception and administration staff.

The only criticism the CQC had of the surgery concerned the booking of appointments to see a GP.

Inspectors found that patients “expressed difficulties in obtaining an appointment”, while staff found it hard to make appointments because of the high demand.

"There is not a sufficient amount of appointments to meet the needs of patients,” the report concluded.

"There is also a significant backlog in the summarising of records, although Operose has an action plan to address this.”

Such concerns meant that in one category, which relates to services being “responsive to people’s needs”, the Kirkby practice fell short and was given a ‘Requires Improvement’ rating.

The inspectors urged the surgery to monitor staffing levels to “ensure sufficient appointments are available to patients” and to make sure the reception and administration team can manage its workload.

On the CQC report as a whole, a spokesperson for the Kirkby surgery said: “This is a fantastic result, with the inspectors also highlighting the efforts of the practice team to adjust services during the Covid-19 pandemic. In their words, we promoted the delivery of high-quality, person-centred care.

"Every member of the centre team works hard to deliver the best care possible for the people of Kirkby.

"It is pleasing to see so many positive comments from patients in the CQC report, which shows that our efforts are recognised.”