The Care Quality Commission (CQC), has rated Roundwood Surgery in Mansfield as outstanding following an inspection in April.

The practice, run by a company of the same name, provides healthcare services to over 13,000 registered people. The practice supports a diverse population with higher levels of deprivation than national averages.

CQC carried out this inspection as part of its routine monitoring of services. Inspectors also visited Forest Town Surgery in Mansfield as part of this inspection. Forest Town Surgery is a branch site, and people registered with the practice can choose which site to attend.

CQC rated how responsive and well-led the service is as outstanding, and how safe, effective and caring it is as good.

Craig Howarth, CQC deputy director of operations in the midlands, said:

“At Roundwood Surgery, we found a practice committed to involving people in their care and making sure they received safe and effective treatment. Strong leadership drove this, as leaders had created an open and supportive environment for both staff and the people they cared for.

“People told us they were happy with the service, and said staff treated them as individuals in a professional and respectful manner. Staff involved people in discussions about their care, assessed their needs and helped them make decisions. They helped people understand their options based on the latest evidence and good practice.

“Leaders made sure the practice had enough qualified and skilled staff to deliver safe care. They were visible and supportive, helping staff to develop in their roles. It was a testament to everyone working there and the culture they’d created, that staff turnover was low, and several people had worked at the practice for more than 20 years.

“We also saw leaders listen to the views of people and staff to identify learning opportunities and improve the service. They empowered staff to explore innovative ideas to enhance people’s experiences.

“Roundwood’s senior leaders also engaged and worked with local primary care services and their communities to remove the barriers people faced in accessing care caused by deprivation. They worked innovatively with their network practices to employ specialist roles, specific to the needs of their population, to improve equity in outcomes for all people who accessed their services.”

“The practice reported and investigated safety events and used their findings to learn lessons and make improvements. Leaders and staff encouraged people to raise concerns when things went wrong and treated them with kindness and compassion.

“Leaders and staff at Roundwood Surgery and Forest Town Surgery should be proud of the positive findings in our report and the hard work that made this possible.”

Inspectors found:

• The practice worked closely with healthcare partners to keep people safe, including community nursing teams, the palliative care team and hospital consultants. This helped provide consistent care, especially when people moved between services.

•Practice teams worked well together and shared relevant information to support people’s care and treatment. For example, one team worked across different staff groups to follow up on issues, including people who missed important appointments.
Leaders regularly met with groups representing people using the practice and had open and honest discussions.

• The practice recognised the diverse population it supported and understood some of the barriers people faced accessing care. They made sure information was available in a range of formats, which included cervical smear clinic invites available in different languages.
Staff assessed and reviewed people’s healthcare needs with them to make sure care and treatment met their needs.

• Clinicians told inspectors the reception team provided effective signposting helping people receive the most appropriate support more quickly.
The report will be published on CQC’s website in the coming days.