Willowbank Surgery

Updated 16 September 2022

Willowbank Surgery is located in Harpurhey, Manchester at:

1 Church Lane

Harpurhey

Manchester

M9 4WH

The provider is registered with CQC to deliver the Regulated Activities; diagnostic and screening and treatment of disease, disorder or injury.

The practice is situated within the Manchester Integrated Care Systems (ICS) and delivers General Medical Services (GMS) to a patient population of about 1920. This is part of a contract held with NHS England.

The practice is part of a wider group of GP practices, Higher Blackley, Harpurhey & Charlestown (PCN). PCNs work together with community, mental health, social care, pharmacy, hospital and voluntary services in their local area.

Information published by Public Health England shows that deprivation within the practice population group is in the first decile (1 of 10). The lower the decile, the more deprived the practice population is relative to others.

According to the latest available data, the ethnic make-up of the practice area is 8% Asian, 76% White, 11% Black and 3% other.

The age distribution of the practice population is similar to local averages, however, differs from national averages. For example, there are fewer older patients (9.5%) registered at the practice compared to England average (17.7%) and more young patients (28%) registered at the practice compared to England average (20%)

There is a team of three GPs (one male lead GP and two female, long term locums), an advanced nurse practitioner, a practice nurse and a general practice assistant. The clinical team are supported at the practice by a practice manager and a team of secretarial, administrative and reception staff.

The practice is open between from 8am to 6:30pm Monday to Friday. The practice opens late Tuesdays until 8:30pm. The practice offers a range of appointment types including book on the day, telephone consultations, online consultations and advance appointments.

Extended access is provided locally Manchester Extended Access Service, where late evening and weekend appointments are available. Out of hours services are provided by gtd healthcare.

Updated 16 September 2022

We carried out an announced inspection at Willowbank Surgery on 10 August 2022. Overall, the practice is rated as good.

The key questions are rated as:

Safe - Good

Effective – Good

Caring - Outstanding

Responsive - Good

Well-led – Good

The provider was last inspected November 2016 and was rated Good overall and in all the key questions.

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

Why we carried out this inspection

We undertook this inspection as part of a random selection of services rated good and outstanding to test the reliability of our new monitoring approach.

How we carried out the inspection

Throughout the pandemic CQC has continued to regulate and respond to risk. However, taking into account the circumstances arising as a result of the pandemic, and in order to reduce risk, we have conducted our inspections differently.

This inspection was carried out in a way which enabled us to spend a minimum amount of time on site. This was with consent from the provider and in line with all data protection and information governance requirements.

This included:

• Conducting staff interviews by telephone and using video conferencing
• Completing clinical searches on the practice’s patient records system and discussing findings with the provider
• Reviewing patient records to identify issues and clarify actions taken by the provider
• Requesting evidence from the provider
• Gaining feedback from staff using staff questionnaires
• A shorter 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 have rated this practice as good overall

We have rated this practice as good for providing safe, effective, responsive and well-led services because:

• 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 practice adjusted how it delivered services to meet the needs of patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. Patients could access care and treatment in a timely way.
• The way the practice was led and managed promoted the delivery of high-quality, person-centre care.

We have rated this practice as outstanding for providing caring services because:

• The practice is a small practice situated in an area with high levels of deprivation. The practice had detailed knowledge of the patient population and provided numerous examples of how they had built relationships with patients and the local community to support individuals and families. These relationships enabled them to reach very vulnerable patients who would not normally access healthcare.
• Patients were truly respected and valued as individuals and were empowered as partners in their care, practically and emotionally, by an exceptional and distinctive service. They were provided with a holistic package of care, addressing all the needs of the patient, including their physical, mental, and emotional health, while taking social factors into consideration.
• The practice demonstrated a truly patient-centred culture and staff were committed to delivering excellent care to meet the needs of individuals, with example’s provided of staff going above and beyond to support patients well-being and using their own time to support patients, and working outside of core hours to see patients and ensure urgent needs were met.

Whilst we found no breaches of regulations, the provider should:

• Maintain records of individuals induction.
• Continue to promote and encourage the uptake of childhood immunisations and screening programmes such as 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