A TOWN centre GP practice impressed health care inspectors during a recent follow-up visit, just a year after a report showed it ‘required improvement.’

St Mary’s Surgery, on Church Close, is now deemed to be ‘good’ by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

In a report of its previous inspection, the practice was rated ‘requires improvement’ in three areas, including on whether the service was safe, effective and well-led.

A recent follow-up inspection, held last month, re-examined these three areas and inspectors said arrangements had significantly improved.

Previously the CQC found the surgery’s curtains did not have a date on them for when they were last washed and nurses were unable to say when they had last been laundered.

After the visit, the practice provided records showing when the curtains were next to be washed.

The follow-up report now says there is a “clear cleaning schedule for the curtains, which were labelled with dates to be laundered by.

This was the responsibility of the nursing staff.” Previously inspectors found effective systems for incident reporting and safeguarding, but that not all staff had received safeguarding children or vulnerable adult training to the required standard.

Now all staff have been trained to the appropriate level for their role and a training schedule had been updated and was seen to be constantly monitored.

Another risk that was found at the last visit was that the practice did not have a risk assessment in place for Legionella, a particular type of bacterium that can contaminate water systems in buildings.

This issue has been addressed and inspectors saw an external risk assessment had taken place last year and future testing was scheduled for every six months.

At the previous inspection the CQC said not all staff had received the relevant training for their role, but now the surgery has a centralised spreadsheet that keeps track of all staff training.

Sharon Bicknell, business partner, said: "‘Following our inspection in May we are very pleased for  a ‘good’ report over all areas of the inspection.

"This shows positive recognition for the hard work that takes place at the Practice and for the care and commitment shown by our staff."