Care Quality Commission

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CQC are an independent regulator of health and adult social care in England.

They make sure health and social care services provide people with safe, effective, compassionate, high-quality care and we encourage care services to improve.

Statement from Castlegate & Derwent Surgery on CQC Inspection Report

We have received the results of our latest inspection by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) which was undertaken in February 2025. While the overall rating of “Requires Improvement” highlights some areas where we have fallen short of the high standards we aim to provide, it also acknowledges many of the improvements we have made since the previous inspection in March 2024.  We want to assure our patients and the wider community that we are fully committed to addressing these issues and enhancing the quality of care we deliver.  Over the last three months since the inspection we have already taken decisive action to address the shortfalls.

Give feedback on care

Please provide feedback via the CQC website.

Our Commitment to Our Patients

The CQC report identified areas for improvement in several key aspects of our service. We take these findings very seriously and have already implemented changes to resolve these issues and have planned further improvements.

Steps We Are Taking

We want to keep our patients informed about the immediate actions we have taken:

• We appointed a new Practice Manager who is focusing on improving governance, managing operations and overseeing staff engagement. Inspectors acknowledged the improvements that she has made, and we continue to embed these at an operational and strategic level.
• We had introduced a Total Triage system in January, which was in its infancy at the time of the inspection, this aimed to better manage appointments availability and prioritise urgent care needs. Patient feedback has been positive towards this introduction, and we continue to review, improve and develop this system.
• We have introduced a new system for managing significant events and patient complaints, ensuring timely responses and shared learning across the entire practice.
• We have undertaken enhanced staff training sessions to close gaps in patient safety and care.
• We have conducted a staff survey, and we undertook one-to-one meetings to gather valuable feedback, which is being used to make meaningful changes in our daily operations
• We have taken measures to improve staff well-being.

Looking Ahead

Our entire practice team is dedicated to continuous improvement, and we have a clear action plan in place for the coming months:

• We are “getting back to basics” with a focus on delivering exceptional levels of patient care as our key priority. 
• We plan to work more collaboratively across all multi-disciplinary teams to develop a transparent and inclusive culture.
• We are changing our appointment diaries to increase the number of face to face appointments for our patients.
• We are introducing regular quality audits across the organisation.   
• We will continue to work closely with our Patient Participation Group (PPG) and other stakeholders to ensure patient feedback plays a key role in shaping our services.

A Message to Our Patients

We deeply regret any distress or inconvenience caused by the issues highlighted in the CQC report. We want to assure our patients that your health and well-being remain our top priority. We are committed to making the necessary changes to meet and exceed the standards you expect and deserve.

Your feedback is vital to us, and we encourage you to share your experiences as we work hard to improve our service. We appreciate your continued support and patience as we make these changes.

Thank you for your trust and understanding as we strive to enhance the care we provide to our community.

The Partners and management team at Castlegate & Derwent Surgery