MELKSHAM’S biggest GP surgery has been rated ‘Good’ by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) following an inspection in November.
Giffords Surgery on Spa Road, which has over 13,000 registered patients, received ‘Good’ – the second highest score – in all five of the main assessment categories. The CQC deemed that the practice provided safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led services to its patients.
The report said, “Staff had been trained to provide them with the skills, knowledge and experience to deliver effective care and treatment.
“Patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and they were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment.”
The surgery came under fire earlier in 2016 for ditching pre-booked appointments and opting instead to triage patients over the phone on the day they want to see a doctor.
However, the CQC said, “Most patients we spoke to said [the new triage system] was a good system and an improvement on the previous arrangements.”
The surgery was told it has outstanding facilities for the blind, but needs to improve its services for those with poor mental health. It otherwise received ‘Good’ judgements across the board.
Read the full report online at www.cqc.org.uk
