A BOLTON GP surgery is good, say inspectors.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) rated the quality of care provided by the Beehive Surgery, in Crescent Road, after an inspection in February.

The practice was rated as inadequate at its last inspection in June 2017 and placed into special measures. Inspectors reported that significant improvements have since been made, with all areas of the service now rated as Good – safety, caring, effectiveness, responsiveness and well-led.

They reported that the practice had carried out a full review of their processes following the last inspection and had engaged with their clinical commissioning group (CCG).

Significant improvements had been made throughout the practice. There had been some personnel changes and all remaining and newly recruited staff had been involved in discussions around the improvements required.

The surgery had systems in place to manage all aspects of safety. A fire risk assessment had been carried out, regular checks were performed and recorded and new fire extinguishers had been installed.

Beverley Cole, Head of General Practice – North said:

“The practice has made significant progress since the last inspection and has clearly addressed many areas of concern. There was a strong focus on improving healthy lifestyles. Doctors at the practice promoted health walks for patients. The practice worked in partnership with the local Clinical Commissioning Group and the walks were promoted in the surgery and were very popular.

“The service had suffered with appointment waiting times and to address this they had a break in appointments each hour in case surgeries were running late, and patients had commented that they had noticed an improvement.

“The practice had a good safety record. There were now comprehensive risk assessments in relation to safety issues in place. The fire safety policy had been updated in October 2017, following our last inspection, and a full fire risk assessment had been carried out at that time by an external company. We saw evidence that all the required fire safety checks took place.

“I applaud the practice for having taken action to address the areas of improvement raised during our previous inspection in November 2017. The practice learned and made improvements when things went wrong. There was an improved system for recording and acting on significant events and incidents. Staff had received additional training, while leaders and managers supported them when they did so. They actively encouraged reporting and promoted learning from significant events and incidents.

“The Beehive Surgery has made very good progress, consequently it has been taken out of special measures and I feel sure it will continue to make good progress.”

A copy of the latest report can be found at: www.cqc.org.uk/location/1-2404980603