Lockwood GP Surgery

Updated 5 May 2017

Lockwood GP Surgery is based in Poulton-Le-Fylde, Lancashire. The practice is part of Fylde and Wyre Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and delivers services under a General Medical Services contract with NHS England

The practice is located within the town’s Civic Centre and relocated here in April 2016. There is easy access to the building and disabled facilities are provided. Consultation rooms are across the ground floor. There is a large car park serving the building.

In the last two years the practice team have suffered a number of staff losses including two GP partners, two practice nurses and the practice manager, which had affected some areas of service provision. The practice had raised this matter with the CCG. The practice had recently recruited a GP partner, nurse practitioner, practice nurse and practice manager.

In total there are now two male GP partners and five regular locums (three females). There are two female practice nurses, one female nurse practitioner and two female health care assistants. There is a practice manager and a team of administrative/reception staff.

The practice opening times are 8.30am until 6pm Monday to Friday.

Patients requiring a GP outside of normal working hours are advised to call NHS 111 service to access the out of hours service provided locally by Fylde Coast Medical Services.

There are 6500 patients on the practice list. The majority of patients are white British. A high number of patients have a long-standing health condition (67% compared to the national average of 54%) and 29% of patients are aged over 65 years compared to the national average of 17%. Life expectancy is one year more than national averages for both genders.

Information published by Public Health England rates the level of deprivation within the practice population group as nine on a scale of one to ten. Level one represents the highest levels of deprivation and level ten the lowest.

Updated 5 May 2017

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Lockwood GP Surgery on 18 November 2016. Overall the practice is rated as Good

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

• 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.
• 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. Improvements were made to the quality of care as a result of complaints and concerns.
• Patients said they found it easy to make an appointment with a named GP and 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 provider was aware of and complied with the requirements of the duty of candour.

The areas where the provider should make improvement are:

• Verbal complaints should be recorded.

• Continue to review policies and procedures to demonstrate these reflect the most current guidance.

• Review the induction process of new staff to demonstrate safeguarding and infection control training are undertaken and documented as soon as practicably possible.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Updated 5 May 2017

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 these 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 5 May 2017

The practice is rated as requires 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 relatively high for all standard childhood immunisations.

• Patients told us that children and young people were treated in an age-appropriate way and were recognised as individuals, and we saw evidence to confirm this.

• The practice’s uptake for the cervical screening programme was 83%, which was comparable to the CCG average of 85% and the national average of 81%.

• Appointments were available outside of school hours and the premises were suitable for children and babies.

• We saw positive examples of joint working with midwives, health visitors and school nurses

Updated 5 May 2017

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.

• The practice was responsive to the needs of older people, and offered home visits and urgent appointments for those with enhanced needs.

• Older patients at risk of hospital admission and in vulnerable circumstances had personalised care plans.

• The practice maintained a palliative care register and held monthly meetings attended by a multidisciplinary team to enable sharing of information relating to patients to improve palliative and end of life care

Updated 5 May 2017

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 5 May 2017

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

• Performance for mental health related indicators was variable to the local and national average.For example, 69% of people experiencing poor mental health had a comprehensive, agreed care plan documented in the record compared to the local average of 88% and national average of 89% and 92% of patients diagnosed with dementia had their care reviewed in a face-to-face review compared to the local average of 83% and national average of 84%.

• The practice regularly worked with multi-disciplinary teams in the case management of patients experiencing poor mental health, including those with dementia.

• The practice carried out advance care planning for patients with dementia.

• The practice had told patients experiencing poor mental health about how to access various support groups and voluntary organisations.

• Staff had a good understanding of how to support patients with mental health needs and dementia.

Updated 5 May 2017

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 and other complex needs.

• 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