Queens Road Surgery

Updated 24 May 2016

Queens Road Surgery is situated in Blackhill, a village near Consett, Co Durham. They have a General Medical Services (GMS) contract and also offer enhanced services for example; extended hours. The practice covers the area of Blackhill and surrounding areas. Blackhill is an ex-mining and steelworks community. There are 12939 patients on the practice list and the majority of patients are of white British background. Queens Road Surgery is a purpose built GP surgery. The practice is located opposite the Out of Hours centre and this has caused problems with car parking spaces as they are often used by patients attending the Out of Hours centre. The practice has tried to address this by operating a permit system whereby patients are required to give their registration number when they attend for an appointment. There is also a Pharmacy attached to the practice. There is space on the first floor which is available for Foundation Trust services.

There is a branch surgery at Moorside. There is a Pharmacy adjoining the practice. The bottom floor is unused by the Surgery, although it is used to provide community health services.

The practice is an undergraduate training practice and a partnership between six partners, three male and three female. The practice has a GMS contract. The practice has five nurse practitioners and five practice nurses, all are female. There are two health care assistants and a career start nurse who are all female (a career start nurse is someone who is training to become a practice nurse). There are a range of reception, administrative and secretarial staff. There is a practice manager and a business manager.

The practice is open between 8am to 5pm on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and 8am to 8pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Appointments are from 8am to 11.30am and 1.30pm to 4.30pm. Extended hours appointments are offered between 5pm and 7.45pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

The branch surgery in Moorside is open between 8:30am to 12pm Monday to Friday. Appointments to see a doctor start from 8:30am.

Patients requiring a GP outside of normal working hours are advised to contact the GP out of hour’s service (111) provided by North Durham Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).

Updated 24 May 2016

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Queens Road Surgery on 22 April 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. Staff had been trained to provide them with 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. Improvements were made to the quality of care as a result of complaints and concerns.
• Some patients said they found it difficult to make an appointment with a GP of their choice.
• Urgent appointments were available the same day. All telephone calls were triaged and appointments offered on the same day if necessary.
• 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.
• The provider was aware of and complied with the requirements of the duty of candour.

The areas where the provider should make improvement are:

Ensure that minimum, maximum and actual temperatures of the medicines fridge are recorded daily when the practice is open.

Ensure that learning from significant events is documented and includes the whole team.

Improve the access to a GP of choice for patients.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Updated 24 May 2016

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.

• The percentage of patients with diabetes, on the register, in whom the last HbA1c was 64 mmol/mol or less in the preceding 12 months (01/04/2014 to 31/03/2015) was 83% which was above the national average of 78%.

• The percentage of patients with diabetes, on the register, who had had an influenza immunisation in the preceding 1 August to 31 March(01/04/2014 to 31/03/2015) was 97% which was above the national average of 94%.

• 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 24 May 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 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 had completed the You’re Welcome award to enable them to meet the needs of young people and had a dedicated area in the practice and on the website for information sharing.

• The percentage of women aged 25-64 whose notes record that a cervical screening test had been performed in the preceding 5 years was 83% which was comparable to the national average of 82%.

• 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 24 May 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.

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

• The practice recruited a nurse practitioner for the Frail and Elderly. Patients who were housebound or took numerous repeat medications or had multiple long term conditions were eligible for this service.

• They were able to identify deterioration in health and social care needs as a result of the assessments and continually monitor their older population.

• The practice participated in a local scheme in conjunction with the CCG which enabled patients who were at risk of unplanned admission to hospital to access a dedicated telephone number at weekends. This was staffed by GPs.

Updated 24 May 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 24 May 2016

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

• The percentage of patients with schizophrenia, bipolar affective disorder and other psychoses who had a comprehensive, agreed care plan documented in the record, in the preceding 12 months was 96% which was above the national average of 88%.

• The percentage of patients with physical and/or mental health conditions whose notes recorded smoking status in the preceding 12 months was 95% which was comparable to the national average of 94%.

• 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.

• 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 24 May 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 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.