Seaton Surgery

Updated 4 April 2016

Seaton Surgery provides Personal Medical Services to approximately 3,000 patients living in and around Seaton Carew, Hartlepool. Services are provided from the Seaton Surgery on Station Lane in Seaton Carew.

There are two GP partners, one male and one female. The practice has one nurse practitioner, two practice nurses and a healthcare assistant. They are supported by a team of management, reception and administrative staff.

The practice has a slightly higher than average proportion of its population who are classed as deprived.

The practice provides appointments between 9.15am and 7.30pm on a Monday, 9.15am and 5.00pm on a Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday and 9.15am and 11.3am on a Thursday. Although the surgery opening hours are longer than this. Out of Hours services are provided by Northern Doctors and are accessed through the 111 telephone number.

The practice also offers enhanced services including reducing alcohol related health risks, extended opening hours, support for people with dementia and childhood vaccination and immunisation.

Updated 4 April 2016

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Seaton Surgery on 14 January 2016. Overall the practice is rated as good.

Our key findings across all the areas we inspected were as follows:

• Staff understood and fulfilled their responsibilities to raise concerns, and to report incidents and near misses. Information about safety was recorded, monitored, appropriately reviewed and addressed.
• Risks to patients were assessed and well managed.
• Staff assessed patients’ needs and delivered care in line with current evidence based guidance. Staff had the skills, knowledge and experience to deliver effective care and treatment.
• Patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and they were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment.
• Information about services and how to complain was available and easy to understand.
• Patients said they found it easy to make an appointment with a named GP and that there was continuity of care, with urgent appointments available the same day.
• The practice had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs.
• There was a clear leadership structure and staff felt supported by management. The practice proactively sought feedback from staff and patients, which it acted on.

Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGPChief Inspector of General Practice

Updated 4 April 2016

The practice is rated as good for the care of people with long-term conditions. The practice is rated as good for the care of people with long-term conditions. Nursing staff had lead roles in chronic disease management and patients at risk of hospital admission were identified as a priority. Longer appointments and home visits were available when needed. All of these patients had a named GP and a structured annual review to check that their health and medication needs were being met. For those people with the most complex needs, the named GP worked with relevant health and social care professionals to deliver a multidisciplinary package of care.

Updated 4 April 2016

The practice is rated as good for the care of families, children and young people. There were systems in place to identify and follow up children living in disadvantaged circumstances and who were at risk, for example, children and young people who had a high number of A&E attendances. Immunisation rates were high for all standard childhood immunisations. Children and young people were treated in an age-appropriate way and were recognised as individuals. The practice was above the national average for cervical screening and for childhood immunisations. Appointments were available outside of school hours and the premises were suitable for children and babies.  There was joint working with midwives, health visitors and school nurses.

Updated 4 April 2016

The practice is rated as good for the care of older people. Nationally reported data showed that outcomes for patients were good for conditions commonly found in older people. The practice offered proactive, personalised care to meet the needs of the older people in its population and had a range of enhanced services, for example, in dementia. They were responsive to the needs of older people, and offered home visits and rapid access appointments for those with enhanced needs. The practice worked with nine other local practices to enhance the care of patients in nursing homes. One of the GP’s visited a local nursing home each week to promote staff education and review patients. A local carers association ran monthly drop in sessions for carers at the practice.

Updated 4 April 2016

The practice is rated as good for the care of working-age people (including those recently retired and students). The needs of the working age population, those recently retired and students had been identified and the practice had adjusted the services it offered to ensure these were accessible, flexible and offered continuity of care. The practice was proactive in offering online services as well as a full range of health promotion and screening that reflects the needs for this age group.

Updated 4 April 2016

ple with dementia). 81% of patients diagnosed with dementia had had their care reviewed in a face to face meeting in the last 12 months, which is comparable to the national average. The practice regularly worked with multi-disciplinary teams in the case management of people experiencing poor mental health, including those with dementia. The practice told patients experiencing poor mental health how to access support groups and voluntary organisations. The practice had a system in place to follow up patients who had attended accident and emergency where they may have been experiencing poor mental health. Staff had a good understanding of how to support patients with mental health needs and dementia.

Updated 4 April 2016

The practice is rated as good for the care of people whose circumstances may make them vulnerable. The practice held a register of patients living in vulnerable circumstances including those with a learning disability. The practice offered longer appointments for patients with a learning disability. The practice nurse would also visit vulnerable adults in their own home to offer health checks and vaccinations. The practice regularly worked with multi-disciplinary teams in the case management of vulnerable people. The practice informed vulnerable patients about how to access various support groups and voluntary organisations. Staff knew how to recognise signs of abuse in vulnerable adults and children. Staff were aware of their responsibilities regarding information sharing, documentation of safeguarding concerns and how to contact relevant agencies in normal working hours and out of hours.