A practice manager in Gateshead has been applauded by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) for helping to bring their surgery out of special measures.
The surgery was previously rated inadequate in January and put into special measures for being unsafe to patients, unsupportive for staff and for having no leadership structure. However, there was clear improvement at the latest inspection of the Dr Syed Masroor Imam surgery on 24 September.
The CQC particularly applauded Carole Crawford, the practice manager, who staff said they “felt respected, valued and supported” by.
“Throughout the day, the practice manager demonstrated their desire to lead, learn and improve the practice,” the report said.
“Staff told us that team meetings were held and we saw copies of minutes taken. We also saw the practice manager had sent a memo to staff when it had not been possible to meet, to keep them informed of developments within the practice. Staff told us that there was an open culture within the practice and they had the opportunity to raise any issues at team meetings.”
Crawford also explained that the practice introduced more reviews on data, clinical audits, and how they were now monitoring the number of unanswered telephone calls received, which would help them to identify if additional resource was required in this area.
Professor Steve Field, the lead inspector for general practice, said: “Results from the National GP Patient Survey showed patients were generally happy with how they were treated and that this was with compassion, dignity and respect.
“I am taking this service out of special measures. This recognises the significant improvements that have been made to the quality of care provided by this service.”
