• Doctor
  • GP practice

Tottington Medical Practice

Overall: Requires improvement read more about inspection ratings

16 Market Street, Tottington, Bury, Lancashire, BL8 4AD (01204) 885106

Provided and run by:
Tower Family Healthcare

All Inspections

30/08/2023

During a routine inspection

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Tottington Medical Practice (a location managed by Tower Family Healthcare) on 30 August 2023. Overall, the practice is rated as requires improvement.

Safe - requires improvement

Effective - requires improvement

Caring - good

Responsive - requires improvement

Well-led - requires improvement

During the inspection process, the practice highlighted efforts they are making to improve outcomes for their patient population. The effect of these efforts is not yet reflected in verified outcomes data. However, the provider was continuing to take steps to improve access, by the use of a capacity tracker. We saw that the practice was monitoring closely telephone performance data and had worked to recruit more GPs and non-clinical support staff. As such, the ratings for this inspection has not been impacted. However, we continue to monitor the data and where we see potential changes, we will follow these up with the practice.

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

Why we carried out this inspection

We carried out this inspection in line with our inspection priorities.

How we carried out the inspection

This inspection was carried out in a way which enabled us to spend a minimum amount of time on site.

This included:

  • Conducting staff interviews using video conferencing.
  • Completing clinical searches on the practice’s patient records system (this was with consent from the provider and in line with all data protection and information governance requirements).
  • Reviewing patient records to identify issues and clarify actions taken by the provider.
  • Requesting evidence from the provider.
  • A short site visit to Tottington Medical Practice. (The 3 branch surgeries were not visited at this inspection)

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 found that:

  • Staff had received appropriate training and there were effective health and safety risk assessments.
  • Patients received effective care and treatment that met their needs. However, we identified some areas that required improvement such as effective medicine review and monitoring of patients with long term conditions and those on high-risk medicines.
  • The provider had achieved higher than the international target in childhood vaccinations for children at 1 year of age and met minimum national targets across the remaining childhood vaccinations.
  • Staff dealt with patients with kindness and respect and involved them in decisions about their care.
  • Patients could not consistently access the provider via telephone in a timely way which was reflected in the latest results of the National Patient Survey.
  • The provider had developed a clear vision for the management of the practice, and the staff team felt supported in their development and described a positive working culture.

We found a breach of regulations. The provider must:

  • Establish effective systems and processes to ensure good governance in accordance with the fundamental standards of care.

We also found that the provider should:

  • Improve the management of safety alerts to ensure patient safety.
  • Improve the way clinical searches are completed to ensure potential risks to patient care are identified and managed.
  • Continue to monitor and improve cervical screening rates.
  • Continue with efforts to seek and act on patient feedback and embed learning to improve the patient experience.

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 Health Care

23 November 2016

During a routine inspection

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

This is a focused desk top review of evidence supplied by Tottington Medical Practice for one area within the key question safe.

We now found the practice to be rated as good in providing safe services. Overall, the practice is rated as good.

The practice was previously inspected on 12 April 2016. The inspection was a comprehensive inspection under the Health and Social Care Act 2008. At that inspection, the practice was rated good overall. However, within the key question safe, one area was identified as requiring improvement, as the practice was not meeting the legislation at that time:

Regulation 12 HSCA (RA) Regulations 2014 Safe care and treatment

The registered person did not ensure the safe storage of medicines. The temperature of the fridges that stored medicines was not monitored regularly.

During the inspection on 23 November 2016 the practice showed us evidence which demonstrated they are now meeting the requirements of Regulation 12 HSCA (RA) Regulations 2014.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

12 April 2016

During a routine inspection

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Tottington Medical Centre on 12 April 2016. Overall the practice is rated as good.

Our key findings across all the areas we inspected were as follows:

  • There was an open and transparent approach to safety and an effective system in place for reporting and recording significant events.
  • Risks to patients were assessed and well managed.
  • Staff assessed patients’ needs and delivered care in line with current evidence based guidance.
  • Staff received regular training so they had the skills, knowledge and experience to deliver effective care and treatment.
  • Patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and they were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment.
  • Information about services and how to complain was available and easy to understand. Improvements were made to the quality of care as a result of complaints and concerns.
  • Patients said they found it easy to get through to the practice to make an appointment with a named GP.
  • The practice had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs.
  • There was a clear leadership structure and staff felt supported by management. The practice proactively sought feedback from staff and patients, which it acted on.
  • The provider was aware of and complied with the requirements of the duty of candour.

The areas where the provider must make improvement are:

  • Fridge temperatures must be monitored regularly.

The areas where the provider should make improvement are:

  • A Disclosing and Barring Service check should be carried out for staff who act as chaperones or a risk assessment completed to demonstrate why this is not required.  While these checks had not yet been completed, we saw evidence that this issue was in the process of being addressed. 
  • An infection control audit of the premises should be carried out.

Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGPChief Inspector of General Practice