• Doctor
  • GP practice

The Surgery @ Wheatbridge

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

30 Wheatbridge Road, Chesterfield, Derbyshire, S40 2AB (01246) 277287

Provided and run by:
Dr E O'Donnell & Partners

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Background to this inspection

Updated 28 February 2019

Dr C A Spooner and partners are registered to provide regulated activities with the CQC, with the provider being a partnership consisting of five partners (three female GPs and two male GPs).

The practice is registered with the CQC to carry out the following regulated activities - diagnostic and screening procedures, family planning, surgical procedures, maternity and midwifery services and treatment of disease, disorder or injury.

Dr C A Spooner and partners received a previous CQC inspection in October 2014. At that inspection, it received a rating of good overall. The full comprehensive report (published April 2015) for this inspection can be found by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Dr C A Spooner and partners on our website at

Dr C A Spooner and partners is situated in the town of Chesterfield in Derbyshire.

The practice has a contract with NHS North Derbyshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) to provide Personal Medical Services (PMS) and offers a range of local enhanced services. It is one of 34 GP practices within the CCG’s area.

The practice has approximately 15,300 registered patients, and the demographics show a higher percentage of people in the 65+ year age group, in comparison to the national average, but lower than the CCG average. Average life expectancy is 79 years for men and 83 years for women, comparable to the national average of 79 and 83 years respectively. The general practice profile shows that 66% of patients registered at the practice have a long-standing health condition, compared to 55% locally and 51% nationally. The practice scored five on the deprivation measurement scale; the deprivation scale goes from one to 10, with one being the most deprived. People living in more deprived areas tend to have greater need for health services. The National General Practice Profile describes the practice ethnicity as being 95.9% white, 2% Asian, 0.8% black, and 1.2% mixed and 0.2% other non-white ethnicities.

In addition to the five GP partners, there are four salaried female GPs working at the practice.

The nursing team consists of three nurse practitioners and six practice nurses, supported by two healthcare assistants and a phlebotomist. The practice also directly employs a clinical pharmacist.

The non-clinical team is led by a practice manager, supported by an assistant practice manager and a finance/IT manager. They lead a team of 22 administrative and reception staff.

It is an established training practice which accommodates GP registrars and medical students. Two GP registrars were working at the practice at the time of our inspection.

The practice is part of the Chesterfield GP collaborative which is a group of practices working together within their local area to benefit from collaboration and economies of scale.

The practice opens from 7am for appointments (reception opens at 8am) until 6.30pm Monday to Friday. Patients can obtain late weekday appointments between 6pm-8pm, and weekend appointments on Saturday and Sunday mornings and bank holidays, via a local extended access to GP services scheme. These appointments are available at two local practices.

The practice closes on one afternoon each month for staff training. When the practice is closed, out of hours cover for emergencies is provided by Derbyshire Health United (DHU).

Overall inspection

Good

Updated 28 February 2019

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Dr C A Spooner and partners (also known as The Surgery @ Wheatbridge) on 31 January 2019 as part of our inspection programme.

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 good quality, person-centre care.

Whilst we found no breaches of regulations, the provider shoul d:

  • Review the practice training programme and encourage staff to complete appropriate training modules, and not just the practice’s mandatory training schedule.
  • Complete the ongoing evidence collation of all staff vaccinations in line with PHE guidance.
  • Develop further risk assessments to identify and control any potential or known risks.
  • Ensure evidence of compliance for site-related issues is readily available from the contractor or landlord.
  • The practice should aim to identify more carers and ensure they receive information about the support services available to them.
  • The practice should review their approach to social prescribing schemes.

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

Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP
Chief Inspector of General Practice