Here's what inspectors said after visiting this Sunderland GP surgery
A Sunderland GP surgery has been rated as outstanding after an inspection by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
West Rainton Surgery in Houghton le Spring was previously rate as good but was upgraded to the highest possible rating following its inspection from 13 to 16 October.
The inspection team found the surgery to be “exceptional at making sure people were at the centre of their care and treatment” and praised the staff who they said “worked well with partner organisations to ensure people had a smooth transition when moving between services”.
The surgery's leadership team was also commended with managers described as “caring” for staff and supporting them to deliver person-centred care.
The report stated: “This empowered staff to do their job well, so people received a high standard of care.”
The report also praised the relationships and trust established with patients.
Inspectors said: “People knew how to give feedback and were confident the service would take it seriously and act on it to make any necessary improvements.”
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and social care in England.
Following West Rainton’s outstanding rating, CQC deputy director of operations in the north, Linda Hirst, said: “When we inspected West Rainton Surgery, we found a practice that puts people at the heart of everything it does.
“Staff treated people with kindness and respect, and were exceptional at listening and understanding people’s needs, to ensure they could access care in a way that worked for them.
"The practice had built strong relationships with its community and had developed innovative ways to support people who might otherwise struggle to access healthcare. For example, communication barriers were identified within the Traveller community so the practice put in place plans to support them. This led to an increase in the number of people having health checks which could reduce their need for any future care and support needs.
“Also, it was great to see that survey results showed 88.6% of people felt that they had received a positive experience when contacting their GP, well above the national average of 69.6%.
“It was also reassuring that 86.6% of people found it easy to contact their GP practice on the phone, compared to a national average of 52.9%.
"Leaders and staff at West Rainton Surgery should be very proud of the findings of this report. Other GP practices should look to this report to see if there’s anything to learn from it.”