The Care Quality Commission
  • Doctor
  • GP practice

Lyme Valley Medical Centre

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

Lyme Valley Road, Newcastle Under Lyme, Staffordshire, ST5 3TF (01782) 615367

Provided and run by:
Network Healthcare Solutions Limited

All Inspections

6 July 2023

During a monthly review of our data

We carried out a review of the data available to us about Lyme Valley Medical Centre on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.

This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.

If you have concerns about Lyme Valley Medical Centre, you can give feedback on this service.

29/10/2019

During a routine inspection

We carried out an inspection of this service following our annual review of the information available to us including information provided by the practice. Our review indicated that there may have been a significant change to the quality of care provided since the last inspection. This inspection focused on the following key questions: Safe, responsive, caring, effective and well led.

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 and good for all population groups.

We found that:

  • 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.
  • Staff dealt with patients with kindness and respect and involved them in decisions about their care.
  • The practice organised and delivered services to meet patients’ needs. 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-centred care.

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

  • Improve the identification of carers to enable this group of patients to access the care and support they need.
  • Include the root cause analysis process in the significant event management and investigation to maximise learning opportunities.
  • Complete the scoring process in the infection prevention and control audit.
  • Consider the development of a forward audit plan.
  • Update the consent policy to reflect current activity at the practice.
  • Complete review of security for printed prescriptions.
  • Continue planned surveys for patient satisfaction.
  • Continue to monitor outlier data for high exception rates.

Details of our findings and the evidence supporting our ratings are set out in the evidence tables.

Dr Rosie Benneyworth BM BS BMedSci MRCGP

Chief Inspector of Primary Medical Services and Integrated Care

15 January 2015

During a routine inspection

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Lyme Valley Medical Centre on 15 January 2015. Overall the practice is rated as good.

Specifically, we found the practice to be good for providing safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led services. It was also good for providing services for older people, people with long-term conditions, families, children and young people, working age people (including those recently retired and students), people whose circumstances may make them vulnerable and people experiencing poor mental health (including people with dementia).

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

  • Staff understood and fulfilled their responsibilities to raise concerns, and to report incidents and near misses. Information about safety was recorded, monitored, appropriately reviewed and addressed.
  • Patients’ needs were assessed and care was planned and delivered following best practice guidance. Staff had received training appropriate to their roles and any further training needs had been identified and planned.
  • 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.
  • Most patients said they had access to appointments and urgent appointments were available the same day.
  • 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.

However there were areas of practice where the provider needs to make improvements.

Importantly the provider should:

  • Continue to monitor and improve patient access to appointments and their preferred GPs.

Record the regular checks carried out by staff on the defibrillator.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice