Archived: Eastholme Surgery

Updated 7 December 2016

Eastholme Surgery, 32 Heaton Moor Road, Stockport, SK4 4NX is part of the NHS Stockport Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG). Services are provided under a general medical services (GMS) contract with NHS England. The practice confirmed they had 4810 patients on their register.

The practice is a registered partnership between two female and one male GP. The practice employs a practice manager, one practice nurse, one health care assistant as well as reception and admin staff. The practice also has the part time services of a pharmacist. The practice is a GP training practice.

Information published by Public Health England rates the level of deprivation within the practice population group as six on a scale of one to ten. Level one represents the highest levels of deprivation and level ten the lowest. Male life expectancy is 78 years, which slightly below the England and CCG average of 79 years. Female life expectancy reflects the CCG and England average of 83 years.

The practice moved in February 2016 into its current location, which is a new purpose built facility GP practice. Within the practice building is another larger GP practice and the owners of this neighbouring practice are the owners of the whole building.

Eastholme surgery is situated towards the rear of the building and is on the ground floor. There are two areas with a few steps and low-rise platform lifts are available for those people who would struggle with steps or use mobility aids.

The practice reception was open from 8.00am until 6.30pm Monday to Friday. GP consultations were available each morning from 8am until 11.40am on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursday and Fridays and in the afternoons from either 2pm or 3pm until either 4.30 or 5.30pm. Later evening appointments were provided on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday evenings between 6.30pm  and  7.30pm. A health care assistant is available Monday evenings between 6.30pm and 7pm and the practice nurse is available from 6.30pm until 7pm on Thursdays. Pre-bookable telephone consultations are also available.

Pre-bookable appointments were also available at weekends at the Out of Hours provider Mastercall located in Hazel Grove.

When the practice is closed patients are asked to contact NHS 111 for Out of Hours GP care.

The practice provides online access that allows patients to book and cancel appointments and order prescriptions.

Updated 7 December 2016

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Eastholme Surgery on 9 November 2016. Overall the practice is rated as good.

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

• The practice had moved location within the last nine months from an older property to a nearby new modern facility. This had created a few challenges both in the logistics before and after the move. However, the staff team confirmed they now felt more settled.
• The practice had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs.
• There was an open and transparent approach to safety and an effective system in place for reporting and recording significant events.
• Risks to patients were assessed and well managed.
• Staff assessed patients’ needs and delivered care in line with current evidence based guidance. Staff had been trained to provide them with the skills, knowledge and experience to deliver effective care and treatment.
• Personalised patient centred care reflecting the different needs of patient population groups was evident in all aspects of the practice’s work.
• The practice provided both urgent and pre-booked appointments each day. The practice manager monitored patient demand to ensure all those who requested an urgent appointment were either seen or spoken to by a GP.
• Information about services and how to complain was available and easy to understand. Improvements were made to the quality of care as a result of complaints and concerns.
• 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.
• Evidence was available that demonstrated the practice complied with the Duty of Candour requirement.

The areas where the provider should make improvement are:

• Improve the quality of recording meeting minutes to clearly identify the issues discussed, the actions agreed and to provide a template to monitor and review progress.
• Undertake the planned Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks for all staff undertaking the role of chaperone.
• Obtain references for locum GPs used at the practice.
• Develop a policy and protocol for responding to medical emergencies to support the staff’s existing knowledge.
• Develop and implement a plan for continued quality improvement and clinical audit.
• Continue to promote, develop and facilitate a patient reference group to include patients who do not have access or skills to use IT.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Updated 7 December 2016

The practice is rated as good for the care of people with long-term conditions.

• The practice performed similarly or better than the local and national averages in the diabetes indicators outlined in the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) for 2015/16.
• The practice encouraged patients to self refer to education programmes such as Expert for the management of diabetes and other long term conditions.
• Longer appointments and home visits were available when needed.
• All patients had a named GP and a structured annual review to check their health and medicines needs were being met. For those patients with the most complex needs, the named GP worked with relevant health and care professionals to deliver a multidisciplinary package of care.

Updated 7 December 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 comparable to the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) rates for all standard childhood immunisations.
• The practice held meetings every second month to review patients considered at risk or with a child protection plan in place.
• Patients told us that children and young people were treated in an age-appropriate way and were recognised as individuals.
• Appointments were available outside of school hours.
• Quality and Outcome Framework (QOF) 2015/16 data showed that 77% of patients with asthma on the register had an asthma review in the preceding 12 months compared to the CCG and England average of 75%.
• The practice’s uptake for the cervical screening programme was 80%, which was slightly below the CCG and the national average of 81%. 

Updated 7 December 2016

The practice is rated as good for the care of older people.

• The practice offered proactive, personalised care to meet the needs of the older people in its population.
• It was responsive to the needs of older people, and offered on the day appointments and home visits for those with enhanced needs.
• Planned weekly visits to a local care home were undertaken by the GPs. This provided continuity of care.
• Palliative care meetings were held every second month and community health care professionals such as the district nurse and Macmillan nurse attended these.

Updated 7 December 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 offered flexible surgery times including later evening appointment from 6.30pm until 7.30pm on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday with a GP. A health care assistant was available Monday evenings between 6.30pm and 7pm and the practice nurse was available until 7pm on Thursdays. Pre-bookable telephone consultations were also available.
• The practice was proactive in offering online services such as booking and cancelling appointments and ordering prescriptions.
• The practice website also offered information on health promotion and screening.

Updated 7 December 2016

The practice is rated as good for the care of people experiencing poor mental health (including people with dementia).

• Data from 2015/16 showed that 75% of patients diagnosed with dementia had had their care reviewed in a face to face meeting in the last 12 months, which was lower than the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) average of 85% and the England average of 84%.
• 96% of patients with schizophrenia, bipolar affective disorder and other psychoses had a comprehensive, agreed care plan recorded in the preceding 12 months, which was higher than the CCG average of 92% and the England average of 89%.
• The practice regularly worked with multi-disciplinary teams in the case management of patients experiencing poor mental health, including those with dementia.
• The practice had told patients experiencing poor mental health about how to access various 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.

Updated 7 December 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 who were vulnerable and those with a learning disability.
• The practice regularly worked with other health care professionals in the case management of vulnerable patients.
• 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.