Enter and view: Padgate Medical Centre, Warrington

Healthwatch Warrington conducted an Enter and View on Padgate Medical Centre, Warrington, a practice with 7,000 registered patients on 7 March 2017.

The visit was arranged as part of HWW’s Enter and View schedule and involved two representatives.

Observation by the Enter and View representatives reported that: there was some disrepair evident in the car park; the external environment was well maintained and access was good through a foyer containing up to date information; the spacious, airy and warm waiting area had plenty of comfortable seating and smelled fresh and neutral; there were facilities for patients with additional access requirements including foreign language information; signage was clear and toilets were clean and pleasant; corridors were wide for wheelchair access and no clutter was seen. Negative observations were that the toilets lacked emergency pull cords, there was no clock visible and there were no dementia friendly reminders of where a person was once inside the surgery.

Patients commented that: there were no major concerns about the appointment booking system although there were some patients on the day waiting as long as half an hour to have their appointment although there was recognition of the doctors’ high workloads.

It was recommended that disabled parking be reviewed; that safety cords be installed in the toilets and that the Surgery’s patient participation group be strengthened.

The manager responded positively to the report and outlined actions taken and plans for recruitment of patient representatives.