Walton Surgery has improved, inspectors find

Walton Surgery has been revisited by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) following a full inspection earlier this year. The Practice is currently rated as inadequate overall, but the latest visit shows significant progress has been made.

The CQC reported that new systems were now in place to ensure very robust monitoring is undertaken for medicines. They also reported that formalised assurance systems had been introduced to check the competency of clinical staff.

Walton Surgery was previously inspected in January 2019. The practice was issued with notices for safeguarding, governance and safe care and treatment. The CQC carried out an announced focused inspection at Walton Surgery on 8 May 2019, to check that the practice had complied with the notices. The practice had met all the requirements.

Work will continue to ensure all the new systems and processes are fully embedded.

Dr Tom Curtis, Primary Care Medical Director for the Suffolk GP Federation, who manage Walton Surgery, said: “I am pleased with the outcome of the recent CQC visit.

“We have worked hard since the last inspection in January to make improvements and the report outlines this.

“The CQC report highlights that we have succeeded in delivering better, more responsive services for our patients.

“Our main focus at the Suffolk GP Federation is that we are doing everything we can to make sure our patients receive safe care.

“Our staff have worked extremely hard, and continue to do so in a pressurised and challenging environment. For this, I want to personally thank every single member of the Practice team.

“We are looking forward to moving confidently towards our next full inspection later on in the year.”

Roy Grey, Chair of the Practice’s Patient Participation Group (PPG) said “Following the CQC report, the Surgery, together with the PPG, held a public meeting at which some 80 plus patients attended.

“David Pannell, the CEO of Suffolk GP Federation, Adrian Ilott, the Surgery manager and other staff members informed patients of the steps being taken to address all the concerns raised by the CQC.

“The PPG are having monthly meetings with the Surgery manager and his team and are being kept informed of progress.”