A Stapenhill doctors surgery has received a good rating from inspectors - but bosses say there is room for improvement.

Stapenhill Medical Centre, on Fyfield Road, in the Staffordshire village was inspected by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) on Monday, August 14, who ruled the practice was performing at a good standard.

Tim Brier, practice manager at Stapenhill Medical Centre, said: "Obviously I'm very pleased with the good rating, it was good to see nothing major being an issue, but we are always looking to improve further."

The CQC monitors, inspects and regulates health-based services, from care homes to pharmacies to ensure they meet the standards of care expected of them and provides feedback on how effectively and safely they are performing.

The Stapenhill centre received the second highest rating after being judged on the safety, effectiveness and responsiveness of their services and how well-led and caring the practice is.

The services dedication to safety of patients was highlighted in the report which said: "When things went wrong patients received reasonable support, relevant information and a written apology.

Stapenhill Medical Centre, on Fyfield Road
Stapenhill Medical Centre, on Fyfield Road

"There was a formal system in place to log, review, discuss and act on external alerts, such as the medicines and health care products.

"There had been significant improvements in the way health and safety in the workplace was managed. These included regular walk rounds, risk assessments and spot checks from a third party health and safety specialist."

Based on national GP patient surveys, the practice was rated similar to national and local averages according to the report, with patients treated with compassion, dignity and respect and included in key decision-making.

Stapenhill Medical Centre last received an inspection from CQC in August, 2016, when it received an overall rating of 'requires improvements' with issues over patient safety and leadership highlighted.

But Mr Brier said he believed the previous lower rating was due to administration, not based on services provided by the practice.

Mr Brier added: "We didn't have many negatives last year, it was more of a paper trails, on the administration side. These reports sometimes don’t really look at what you are doing, or what you can do, but it's more about proving that you can do it.

"There's always room for improvement, but it's important to take into account restrictions from the NHS, we cover an ageing population, and have got less resources. It's a difficult time in the health service, but we are pleased with the result."

Anybody interested in reading the full CQC report about Stapenhill Medical Centre can access it online at http://www.cqc.org.uk/sites/default/files/new_reports/AAAG7757.pdf .