Coleford Family Doctors Also known as Coleford Health Centre

Updated 20 February 2018

Coleford Family Doctors are located within Coleford Health Clinic in Coleford, which is a rural market town in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire. The practice is situated in a single storey purpose built health centre building and is wheelchair accessible.

Services to patients are provided under a General Medical Services (GMS) contract with NHS England. (A GMS contract is a contract between NHS England and general practices for delivering general medical services and is the commonest form of GP contract). The practice provides its services to approximately 7,000 patients from the following address:

Coleford Health Centre,

Railway Drive,

Coleford,

Gloucestershire,

GL16 8RH.

Coleford Family Doctors is a dispensing practice. The practice was able to offer dispensing services to those patients on the practice list who lived more than one mile (1.6km) from their nearest pharmacy. The head dispenser is supported by two dispensers who dispense to approximately 1,100 patients which equates to approximately 15% of the practice population.

The practice is located in an area with low social deprivation and is placed in the fourth least deprived decile by public health England. The practice population has a higher proportion of patients aged over 65 compared to local and national averages. For example, 27% of practice patients are aged over 75 compared to the local clinical commissioning group (CCG) average of 20% and the national average of 17%.

Updated 20 February 2018

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

This practice is rated as Good overall. (Previous inspection September 2016 – Good)

The key questions are rated as:

Are services safe? – Good

Are services effective? – Good

Are services caring? – Good

Are services responsive? – Good

Are services well-led? - Good

As part of our inspection process, we also look at the quality of care for specific population groups. The population groups are rated as:

Older People – Good

People with long-term conditions – Good

Families, children and young people – Good

Working age people (including those recently retired and students – Good

People whose circumstances may make them vulnerable – Good

People experiencing poor mental health (including people with dementia) - Good

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Coleford Family Doctors on 23 January 2018 as part of our inspection programme.

At this inspection we found:

• The practice had clear systems to manage risk so that safety incidents were less likely to happen. When incidents did happen, the practice learned from them and improved their processes.

• The practice routinely reviewed the effectiveness and appropriateness of the care it provided. It ensured that care and treatment was delivered according to evidence- based guidelines.

• The practice held regular meetings to discuss complex cases and safeguarding issues.

• Staff involved and treated patients with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.

We saw an area of outstanding practice:

• The practice was proactive in identifying patients at risk of diabetes. Patients at increased risk were offered a blood test to measure their average glucose levels every 12 months. They were also offered to attend a group session with one of the practice nurses who led on diabetes, for advice on healthy lifestyle and diet. This meant that the practice was not only able to proactively reduce the numbers of patients developing diabetes but offer appropriate management at the outset of the disease for those who were diagnosed with diabetes.

The areas where the provider should make improvements are:

• Review and improve systems and processes in relation to the monitoring of the vaccine fridge temperature.

• Review the process for consent forms so they are in line with the most up to date guidelines.

• Identify and implement actions to improve patients’ experience.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Updated 20 February 2018

Updated 20 February 2018

Updated 20 February 2018

Updated 20 February 2018

Updated 20 February 2018

Updated 20 February 2018