Updated 20 September 2018
Fairmore Medical Practice is situated in a purpose-built health centre in Rossendale, East Lancashire (Rossendale Primary Healthcare Centre, 161 Bacup Road, Rossendale, BB4 7PL). The site includes ample parking, including disabled spaces as well as ramped access for those patients with mobility difficulties. The practice also operates two other branch surgeries; one in Padiham (Padiham Primary Health Care Centre, Station Road, Padiham, BB12 8EA) and another in Nelson (211-213 Leeds Road, Nelson, BB9 8EH). For this inspection we visited the main location site in Rossendale as well as the Padiham branch. At the time of our inspection the provider was engaging in a consultation with patients with a view to relocating the Nelson branch site from its current address into Pendle Community Hospital.
The practice is part of the NHS East Lancashire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG). Services are delivered under an Alternative Provider Medical Service (APMS) contract with NHS England. There are approximately 6000 registered patients.
The regulated activities of surgical procedures, family planning, treatment of disease, disorder or injury, diagnostic and screening procedures and maternity and midwifery services are provided from the practice by the registered provider Padiham Group Practice.
While Padiham Group Practice is the lead provider and therefore registered as such with CQC, the provider running the practice is a collaboration between Padiham Group Practice, Waterfoot Group of Doctors and East Lancashire Hospitals Trust, known as PWE Healthcare. The organisation also manages another GP practice in the area.
Information published by Public Health England rates the level of deprivation within the practice population group as level three on a scale of one to 10. Level one represents the highest level of deprivation and level 10 the lowest.
The average life expectancy of the practice population is below the local and national averages for both males and females (80.3 years for females, compared to CCG average of 81.4 and national average of 83.2 and 76.5 years for males compared to CCG average of 76.9 and national average of 79.2).
The practice patient list has a higher proportion of younger patients when compared to the average GP practice in England. For example, 27.8% are aged under 18 years (22.5% locally and 20.8% nationally). Conversely, the practice has a lower proportion of older patients, with 8% of patients being over 65 years of age (17.1% both locally and nationally) and 2.8% being older than 75 years (7.2% locally and 7.7% nationally). The practice has 54% of its population with a long-standing health condition, which is in line with the local average of 56% and the England average of 54%.
The practice is staffed by two salaried GPs (both female). They are supported by an operational manager who also works across the provider’s other sites, a practice nurse, a health care assistant and an administration team including secretaries and reception staff. At the time of inspection the provider was currently recruiting for additional clinical (both GP and practice nurse) and non clinical staff.
When the practice is closed patients are asked to contact NHS 111 for Out of Hours GP care, provided locally by East Lancashire Medical Services.
The current provider took over the practice in October 2017. Therefore, unless stated, data and results used throughout the report relate to the previous registered provider.