A NORTHWICH medical centre once rated as ‘outstanding’ by the Care Quality Commission has now been rated ‘good overall’ following its latest inspection.

Firdale Medical Centre, in Winnington, has been given a clean bill of health scoring ‘good’ ratings in four out of five key areas of inspection – safety, effectiveness, caring and leadership.

In a report from the inspection, which took place in March, the investigating team said there were clear systems in place to ensure appropriate standards of hygiene and cleanliness were met, and that the premises and equipment were safe.

Staff were praised for knowing how to report safety incidents and for dealing with patients with kindness and respect, and the practice was deemed to be effective in reviewing the care it provided. Its focus on continuous learning and improvement at all levels were also highlighted.

Yet inspectors found improvement was needed in relation to responsiveness in the light of results for the national GP Patient Survey which showed patient satisfaction with getting through to the practice by phone was below the England average.

It was also below the Clinical Commissioning Group and England satisfaction averages for appointment making and opening times.

The report said the centre must ‘ensure that patients’ experiences of accessing services are monitored to make sure that improvements have been made’.