Seaside Medical Centre

Updated 25 May 2016

Seaside Medical Practice is situated in Eastbourne, East Sussex in a residential area close to the sea front. The patient population is diverse with 40% of patients coming from a black or minority ethnic background.

On street parking is available and the practice is fully accessible for wheelchair users.

The practice consists of seven partner GPs. Five are male and Two are female. It is a training practice and there is also currently a female GP registrar working at the practice for a one year period.

There are two Practice Nurses and a dedicated Phlebotomist.

The practice is open between 8.30am and 6.30pm Monday to Friday. The practice telephones are answered from 8am and one of the GPs provides emergency care triage between 8am and 9am. Appointments are available from 8.30am to 5pm with the exception of one GP who provides appointments up to 5.10pm on Monday, Wednesday and Thursdays.

Extended surgery hours are currently offered on Monday and Tuesday from 6.30pm to 8pm

Patients requiring a GP outside of normal working hours are advised to contact the NHS GP out of hours service on telephone number 111.

The practice has a General Medical Service (GMS) contract and also offers enhanced services for example: Childhood Immunisation and Vaccination Scheme, Alcohol and Violent Patients.

At the time of our inspection there were 11882 patients registered with the practice. The demographics of the patient population shows that 60% of patients are in paid employment or full time education and 55% of patients are suffering from a long-term condition. This is comparable to the national averages.

Updated 25 May 2016

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Seaside Medical Practice on 16 February 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 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.
• Patients said they found it easy to make an appointment with a named GP and that there was continuity of care, with urgent appointments available the same day.
• 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 improvements are:

• Ensure that a clear, robust audit trail is implemented to record dissemination of outcomes and lessons learned in relation to significant events.

• Ensure that detailed auditable minutes are recorded at all meetings.

• Ensure that the use of a chaperone is always fully documented.

• Ensure that an auditable system is implemented for the checking of all emergency equipment.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Updated 25 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 practice had robust systems in place to recall and/or follow up those patients requiring reviews and/or blood tests.

• The percentage of patients with diabetes, on the register, in whom the last IFCC-HbA1cwas 64 mmol/mol or less in the preceding 12 months (01/04/2014 to 31/03/2015) was 86.17% compared to the national average of 77.54%

• The percentage of patients with diabetes, on the register, in whom the last blood pressure reading (measured in the preceding 12 months) was 140/80 mmHg or less was 90.17% compared to the national average of 78.03%.

• Longer appointments and home visits were available when needed.

• One GP led in the design of care-pathways for a range of long-term conditions and worked closely with the community respiratory team.

• 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 25 May 2016

The practice is rated as good for the care of families, children and young people.

• The practice offered a ‘doctor first’ system in the mornings for parents to obtain telephone advice from a GP prior to surgery commencing, and access to urgent appointments for children were available, as determined to be appropriate.

• There were systems in place to identify and follow up children 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.

• The percentage of patients with asthma, on the register, who had had an asthma review in the preceding 12 months that includes an assessment of asthma control 01/04/2014 to 31/03/2015) was 80.85% compared to the national average of 75.35%.

• 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 percentage of women aged 25-64 whose notes recorded that a cervical screening test had been performed in the preceding 5 years (01/04/2014 to 31/03/2015) was 80.5% compared with the national average of 81.83%.

• 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.

• The practice website contained a section on safeguarding which held links to advice for parents on cyberbullying and on-line safety.

Updated 25 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 patients, and offered home visits and urgent appointments for those with enhanced needs.

• The practice was proactive in reviewing the prescribing of repeat medication and in particular for those aged over 85, where reducing prescriptions and/or withdrawing certain medication could improve quality of life.

Updated 25 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.

• The practice offered a weekly health trainer clinic. This clinic was available to all patients at the practice via GP or self-referral. Advice on improving mental well-being, healthy eating, weight watching, exercise, smoking cessation and sensible drinking formed part of this programme.

• The practice offered NHS health checks for 40 to 74 year olds.

• At the time of our inspection the practice offered extended hours for pre-booked appointments on Monday and Tuesday evenings.

Updated 25 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 whose alcohol consumption has been recorded in the preceding 12 months (01/04/2014 to 31/03/2015) was 96.04% compared to the national average of 89.55%

• 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 actively engaged with local and national mental health organisations, charities and supported accommodation units

• The practice also provided accommodation for community mental health professionals to deliver services to patients including counselling.

• 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.

• Patients with poor mental health were automatically allocated double appointments.

Updated 25 May 2016

The practice is rated as good for the care of people whose circumstances may make them vulnerable.

• The practice held a drug (Methadone) step-down clinic to support the treatment and recovery of those patients who had problems with drug addiction.

• The practice was proactive in its approach to patients who were homeless and provided an automatic follow up appointment.

• The practice worked in partnership with local homeless charities and staff volunteered at ‘pop-up clinics’.

• The practice offered longer appointments for patients with a learning disability or complex needs.

• The practice regularly worked with multi-disciplinary teams in the case management of vulnerable patients.

• The practice offered a comprehensive and well managed palliative/end of life care programme.

• 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.

• The practice offered a Special Patients Scheme providing supervised access to medical care for patients excluded from other practices.