Services at South Hylton Surgery have been rated ‘good’ following an inspection by healthcare regulators the Care Quality Commission (CQC) which took place in April 2022. 

The report, published in May (click here) praises the strong patient safety systems in place at the practice and makes special mention of practice staff who ‘treat patients with kindness and respect and involve them in decisions about their care.’ The CQC rated the practice as ‘good’ overall and ‘outstanding’ for being well-led.

South Hytlon Surgery is managed by Sunderland GP Alliance (SGPA). Leaders at the Alliance have praised the hard work of staff and commitment from all colleagues to provide the very best care to the people of South Hylton.

Judith Taylor, Head of General Practice at Sunderland GP Alliance, said: “I am really proud of the team at South Hylton. The past two years have been incredibly challenging for primary care, and the wider NHS. This positive CQC report really is a testament to the practice’s hard work and dedication to provide outstanding care to our patients.

“The inspection was carried out by a Lead Inspector and it was an extremely positive and complimentary visit. I am particularly proud of the comments around the culture at SGPA and how staff feel that it is a great place to work.

“While we are proud of our ‘good’ rating, there are still areas where we can improve to get that ‘outstanding’ rating. We will continue to look at where we can do better as we strive to achieve the highest possible quality and standards of care.”

CQC inspectors commented that the service was consistently well managed with a culture that promoted high-quality, community focussed, person-centred care. The report on South Hylton Practice also highlights a number of areas of outstanding practice, including:

  • The provider had set up a ‘patient intervention team’ of allied healthcare professionals to increase support to vulnerable patients across their three practices and to free up more appointments with GPs.

The practice had carried out a significant amount of audits and other quality improvement work to enhance patient care,