Archived: Hockley Medical Practice

Updated 10 September 2015

Hockley Medical Practice is a registered provider of primary medical services with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). The surgery served a population of approximately 5800 patients. The practice is open Monday to Friday 8.30am to 6pm except Wednesdays when it closed at 12.30pm at this time the service is delivered by another provider (Primacare). Extended early opening hours are offered on Tuesdays from 7.30am. Late opening hours are offered on Thursdays until 7.30pm. The practice has opted out of providing out-of-hours services to their own patients. This is provided by an external out of hours service.

There are two GP partners (one male and one female) and a locum GP. There is also a trainee GP as it is a training practice and both GP partners are trainers. There is a practice nurse, a healthcare assistant, a practice manager and a team of reception staff.

The location of the practice (near the centre of Birmingham) meant that the practice has a mix of patients from various backgrounds. Data we looked at showed that that practice is located in a highly deprived area. However, one of the GP partners and other staff told us that they have a mix of patients registered at the practice from deprived to professionals working in the city. The practice has a higher than the national average patients aged between 20 and 39. The practice has a population of 50 to 85 year olds which is lower than the national average.

Updated 10 September 2015

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out a comprehensive inspection of Hockley Medical Practice on 18 June 2015. We have rated this practice overall as good.

Specifically, we found the practice to be good for providing safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led services. It was also good for providing services for the older people, people with long-term conditions, families, children and young people, working age people (including those recently retired and students), people living in vulnerable circumstances, and people experiencing poor mental health (including people with dementia).

Our key findings were as follows:

• Staff understood and fulfilled their responsibilities to raise concerns and report incidents and near misses. The practice had a system for reporting, recording and monitoring significant events over time.
• Patients’ needs were assessed and the practice planned and delivered care following best practice guidance.
• Patients confirmed that the practice helped them manage their long term conditions and had arrangements in place to make sure their health was monitored regularly.
• There was information in the waiting room and on the practice website that offered information about various health conditions, support systems and groups available.
• Hockley Medical Practice was visibly clean and hygienic. The practice had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs.
• Patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and they were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment. Information was provided to help patients understand the care available to them.
• The practice implemented suggestions for improvements and made changes to the way it delivered services as a consequence of feedback from patients and from the Patient Participation Group (PPG).
• Information about how to complain was available and easy to understand.

However, there were also areas of practice where the provider should make improvements:

• Ensure there is an effective process to manage and monitor action taken as a result of patient safety alerts.
• Ensure all staff are aware of the role of a chaperone and how to effectively fulfil the role.
• Ensure minor surgery audits are carried out.
• Ensure appropriate recruitment processes are followed including obtaining references when new staff members are recruited.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Updated 10 September 2015

The practice is rated as good for the care of people with long-term conditions. The GPs and nursing staff worked together 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. Practice staff held a register of patients who had long term conditions and carried out regular reviews. For patients with the most complex needs, GPs worked with relevant health and care professionals to deliver a multidisciplinary package of care.

Updated 10 September 2015

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 accident and emergency (A&E) attendances. All consultation rooms were on the ground floor which made the practice accessible for pushchairs and appointments were available outside of school hours. There were policies, procedures and contact numbers to support and guide staff should they have any safeguarding concerns about children. The clinical team offered immunisations to children in line with the national immunisation programme. Immunisation rates were comparable to local and national average.

Updated 10 September 2015

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 end of life care. It was responsive to the needs of older people, and offered home visits and rapid access appointments for those with enhanced needs.

Updated 10 September 2015

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 extended opening hours to assist this patient group in accessing the practice. NHS health checks were available for people aged between 40 - 74 years. The practice offered a range of health promotion and screening services which reflected the needs for this age group.

Updated 10 September 2015

The practice is rated as good for the care of people experiencing poor mental health (including people with dementia). Care was tailored to patients’ individual needs and circumstances including their physical health needs. The practice offered annual health checks to patients on the mental health register. Practice staff worked in conjunction with the local mental health team to ensure patients had the support they needed. Both GP partners had attended training in the Mental Capacity Act 2005 to ensure all care provided was in patient’s best interests. Patients with dementia were offered longer appointments.

Updated 10 September 2015

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. It had carried out annual health checks for patients with a learning disability and all of these patients had received a follow-up where issues were identified. The practice regularly worked with multi-disciplinary teams in the case management of vulnerable people. GPs carried out home visits on request to patients who were unable to attend the practice. The practice had access to interpreting service for patients whose first language was not English.