Background to this inspection
Updated
5 December 2019
Harwood Medical Centre is commissioned by Bolton Clinical Commissioning Group. The address of the practice is Harwood Medical Centre, Bolton, BL2 3HQ. The practice is located near a main road and has public transport links. The practice also has a car park for patient use. Harwood Medical Centre had a branch surgery located at Tonge Moor Health Centre, Thicketford Road, Tonge Moor, Bolton, BL2 2LW. Patients are able to use both the main site and the branch for an appointment.
The practice has 12,300 registered patients and serves a diverse population group including a mix of all age groups. The practice is a training practice for medical students.
The practice offers a wide range of services including family planning advice, minor surgery, travel immunisations, flu clinics and diabetes clinics. The practice is a partnership consisting of six partner GPs (three male and three female) and two associate GPs, two practice nurses, an assistant practitioner, a practice manager, and a team of administration staff.
The practice is open between 8 am and 6.30 pm Monday to Friday. Appointments are from 8.30 am to 6 pm daily. Extended hours appointments are offered from 6.30 pm to 8 pm every Monday and from 9 am to 12 pm on a Saturday.
In addition to pre-bookable appointments that can be booked up to six weeks in advance, urgent appointments are also available for people that need them. Outside of practice opening times, patients are diverted to the 111 out of hour’s service.
The practice has a website that contains comprehensive information about what they do to support their patient population and the in house and online services offered: www.harwoodmedicalcentre.co.uk
Updated
5 December 2019
We carried out an inspection of this service following our annual review of the information available to us including information provided by the practice. Our review indicated that there may have been a significant change to the quality of care provided since the last inspection.
This inspection focused on the following key questions:
Are services effective?
Are services well-led?
We based our judgement of the quality of care at this service on a combination of:
- what we found when we inspected
- information from our ongoing monitoring of data about services and
- information from the provider, patients, the public and other organisations.
Because of the assurance received from our review of information we carried forward the ratings for the following key questions:
Are services safe? – Good
Are services caring? – Good
Are services responsive? – Good
We have rated this practice as good overall and good for all patient population groups.
At this inspection we found:
- The service routinely reviewed the effectiveness and appropriateness of the care it provided. It ensured that care and treatment was delivered according to evidence- based guidelines.
- Staff involved and treated people with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.
- There was a strong focus on continuous learning and improvement at all levels of the organisation.
- Leaders demonstrated that they understood the challenges to quality and sustainability. The practice had a clear vision and credible strategy to provide high quality sustainable care.
Dr Rosie Benneyworth BM BS BMedSci MRCGP
Chief Inspector of Primary Medical Services and Integrated Care
People experiencing poor mental health (including people with dementia)
Updated
5 December 2019