- GP practice
The Firs Medical Centre
Report from 19 September 2024 assessment
Contents
Ratings
Our view of the service
We carried out an announced inspection at The Firs Medical Centre from the 9 July to 15 August 2024. We carried out this assessment because there was a change of provider in June 2023. This was the first assessment of the new provider. During the assessment we found that: The leaders had implemented new systems, practices, and processes to keep people safe. This included managing risks to patient safety, the safe use of medicines, learned from significant events and safety alerts and made improvements. The practice had a system in place to help ensure there was sufficient skilled and competent staff. The premises were clean and tidy and maintained by the leaders. Patients were regularly assessed, and care and treatment were delivered in line with current legislation and evidence-based guidelines. The practice had developed a digital hub to improve patient access and had engaged with patients about the change. The practice had worked to ensure that all patients could access the care, support and treatment they needed when they need it. The leaders were working towards tailoring care support and treatment to those who experience inequality in experience or outcomes. We found there was a continuous learning and improvement based on meeting the needs of people who use services and wider communities. Leaders understood local population issues, and the challenges and priorities for their service. Leaders proactively supported staff and collaborated with partners to deliver care that was integrated, person-centred and sustainable, and reduced inequalities. The practice had a shared vision, strategy and culture.
People's experience of this service
The national GP patient survey carried out from January to March 2024 had 90 responses. This found 85% of patients stated the healthcare professional was good at listening to them, and 95% of patients stated they were involved as much as they wanted to be in decisions about their care and treatment. In addition, 95% of patients had confidence and trust in the health care professional they saw or spoke to. 76% of patient had a fairly to very good experience of contacting the practice, 76% found the reception staff fairly to very helpful and 77% found contact through the website fairly to very easy. Ninety percent of patients know what the next step would be after contacting the practice, this increased to 95% within two days. However, 48% of patients found it fairly easy to very easy to contact the practice by phone. The practice submitted their own unverified survey carried out in July 2024 where they received 278 responses. This found 84% of patients stated the healthcare professionals were fairly to very good at treating them with care and concern, and 87% of patients stated they were fairly to very good at listening to them. Sixty three percent described their experience of making an appointment from fairly to very good, 86% of patients found the receptionist fairly to very good. We were provided with patient feedback from local Healthwatch they had gathered from social media and the provider website from July 2023 to April 2024, found 37 positive and 10 negative comments. The positive comments covered the booking system, the quality of the practice, and reception staff. The negative comments were regarding practice administration and medicines.