Archived: The Uplands Medical Practice

Updated 25 June 2015

The Uplands Medical Practice is located in purpose built premises in the centre of Whitefield. The building is single storey and fully accessible to patients using wheelchairs. There is a car park for patients.

Seven GPs worked at the practice; six were partners and one a locum. Four GPs were female and three male. There was a practice nurse and a healthcare support worker, and the practice was in the process of recruiting another nurse. There was a practice manager, assistant practice manager and reception and administration staff.

The normal opening hours were 8am until 6.30pm Monday to Friday. The practice was also signed up to extended hours, with appointments available from 7.10am until 8am. The latest appointment each day was 6pm. In addition, the practice was part of a pilot funded by the Prime Minister's Challenge Fund. Patients were able to access appointments at five locations in the Bury area between 6.30pm and 8pm Monday to Friday, and from 8am until 6pm at weekends.

The practice delivers commissioned services under a General Medical Services (GMS) contract. At the time of our inspection 8716 patients were registered with the practice.

Patients requiring a GP outside of normal working hours are advised to contact an external out of hours service provider.

We found that since the practice had registered with the CQC a new partner had joined. They were in the process of adding this partner to their registration.

Updated 25 June 2015

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at The Uplands Medical Practice on 1 May 2015. Overall the practice is rated as good.

We found the practice to be good for providing safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led services. services.

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

• Staff understood and fulfilled their responsibilities to raise concerns, and to report incidents and near misses. Significant events were investigated and changes to practice made where necessary.
• Risks to patients were assessed and well managed.
• Patients’ needs were assessed and care was planned and delivered following best practice guidance. Staff had received training appropriate to their roles and any further training needs had been identified and planned.
• 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.
• Patients said they found it easy to make an emergency appointment but routine appointments were more difficult to access.
• 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.

There were areas of practice where the provider needs to make improvements.

Importantly the provider should:

• The provider should make changes to the way significant events are recorded so it is clear who is responsible for implementing any actions required, and a timescale for implementing actions is given.
• The provider should look at increasing the number of clinical audits carried out, making sure audit cycles are completed so any improvements can be evidenced.
• The provider should consider introducing clinical protocols to link their practices with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines.
• The provider should have a formal appraisal meeting with all staff.
• The provider should carry out Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks for all staff who carry out chaperone duties.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Updated 25 June 2015

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. All these patients had a structured annual review to check that their health and medicine needs were being met. There were plans in place so that patients with more than one long term condition could have them all reviewed during one appointment. For those people with the most complex needs, the GP worked with relevant health and care professionals to deliver a multidisciplinary package of care.

Updated 25 June 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 and the practice was aware of other healthcare professionals involved in patients’ care. 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. Appointments were available outside of school hours and the premises were suitable for children and babies. We saw good examples of joint working with midwives and health visitors.

Updated 25 June 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 dementia and 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 25 June 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 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. Early morning appointments were available. The practice was also part of a pilot scheme funded by the Prime Minister's Challenge Fund, where appointments at nearby practices were available seven days a week.

Updated 25 June 2015

The practice is rated as good for the care of people experiencing poor mental health (including people with dementia). Patient experiencing poor mental health received an annual physical health check. The practice regularly worked with multi-disciplinary teams in the case management of people 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. It had a system in place to follow up patients who had attended accident and emergency (A&E) where they may have been experiencing poor mental health. Staff had received training on how to care for people with mental health needs and dementia.

Updated 25 June 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 people with a learning disability and all except one of these had been during a face to face appointment, with one being carried out by telephone.

The practice regularly worked with multi-disciplinary teams in the case management of vulnerable people. It had told 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.