Staff at Coleridge Medical Centre have been praised for their ‘effectiveness’ and ‘compassion’ by health inspectors, as part of a ‘good’ Care Quality Commission (CQC) report.

The chief inspector of general practice visited the Canaan Way site in June and rated it ‘good’ in all five categories.

Professor Steve Field said in his report there was one area of outstanding practice after the medical centre saw a four per cent increase in the number of flu vaccinations through its voucher scheme.

He said: “The practice had instigated a scheme whereby patients were able to present a flu vaccination voucher at any appointment and receive their flu vaccination.

“This saved patients the inconvenience of having to attend a specific flu vaccination clinic.”

Coleridge Medical Centre provides services to 16,195 patients of all ages and offers patients access to counsellors, district nurses and midwives.

The report praised staff’s work with families, children and young people as ‘outstanding’ for a number of initiatives in the community.

The practice has worked with The King’s School to set up a teen health group in addition to a local mental health scheme supporting young people. A practice nurse on visiting the school also provided vaccination clinics and advice for pupils undertaking the school’s annual trip to India.

The inspector said: “Staff were consistent and proactive in helping patients to live healthier lives. Staff treated patients with kindness, respect and compassion, dignity and respect.”

The centre’s leadership was described as ‘knowledgeable’ and had the capacity to deliver ‘high quality’ care.

Sue Stokes, practice manager, said: “The inspection report summarised that we provide evidence based, effective and appropriate care, treat patients with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect, we have an appointment system that is easy to use, with access to care when needed, and there is a strong focus on continuous learning and improvement. The report highlights an area of outstanding practice to increase the uptake of flu vaccinations. We would like to extend our thanks to staff and colleagues for their loyalty and commitment and to our local community for their continued support.”