Archived: Sutton Hill Medical Practice

Updated 5 July 2016

Sutton Hill Medical Centre is registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) as a GP partnership provider in Telford. The practice holds 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 area is one of high deprivation when compared with the national and local Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) area. At the time of our inspection the practice had 8,486 patients.

The main site is the Sutton Hill Medical Practice, with branch site in Shifnal. The sites are as follows:

• Sutton Hill Medical Practice, The Medical Centre, Maythrone Close, Sutton Hill, Telford, TF7 4DH
• The Broadway, Shifnal, Shropshire TF11 8AZ

The practice staffing comprises of:

• Five GP partners (two male and three female), one salaried GP and one GP registrar.
• Three female practice nurses and two female health care assistants.
• A business manager.
• An office manager.
• Two secretaries, six receptionists and two apprentices.

The main practice is open from 8am - 6pm Monday to Friday. The telephones are answered after 8.30am. The branch practice at Shifnal is open on Mondays between 9am and 11am. Extended surgery hours were offered on either a Tuesday or Wednesday each week between 6.30pm and 8.45pm and were by appointment only. The practice had opted out of providing cover to patients in the out-of-hours period. During this time services were provided by Shropdoc out of hours service. 

The practice offers a variety of clinics such as smoking cessation, child health and sexual health clinics. It also offers clinics for patients with long term conditions such as asthma and diabetes. The practice is a training practice for GP registrars and medical students to gain experience and higher qualifications in general practice and family medicine.

Updated 5 July 2016

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Sutton Hill Medical Practice on 13 April 2016. A breach of legal requirement was found and a requirement notice was served. After the comprehensive inspection the practice sent us an action plan to say what they would do to meet legal requirements in relation to:

• Regulation 12 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. Safe care and treatment.

We undertook a focused inspection on 20 June 2016. We did not visit the practice but reviewed information sent to us by the provider. The inspection was to check that the practice had followed their action plan and to confirm they now met legal requirements. This report only covers our findings in relation to those requirements. You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Sutton Hill Medical Practice on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Our key findings were as follows:

• Non clinical staff were no longer permitted to undertake chaperone duties.
• The chaperone policy had been amended to reflect that clinical staff only undertook chaperone duties.

Overall the practice is rated as good and good in the safe domain. This recognises the improvements made to the quality of care provided by this service.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Updated 15 June 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 maintained registers of patients with long term conditions. Patients were offered a structured annual review to check their health and medicines needs were being met.
• Performance in three out of the five diabetes related indicators were comparable to or better than the national average. For example: The percentage of patients with diabetes, on the register, in whom a specific blood test was recorded was 85% compared with the national average of 77%.
• Longer appointments and home visits were available when needed.
• 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 15 June 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 who were at risk, for example families with children in need or on children protection plans.
• Appointments were available outside of school hours and the premises were suitable for children and babies. Same day emergency appointments were available for children.
• There were screening and vaccination programmes in place and the practice’s immunisation rates
• Data from the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) for 2014/2015 showed that 80% of women aged 25-64 had received a cervical screening test in the preceding five years. This was comparable to the national average of 82%.
• The practice provided specialised sexual health services, which enabled patients to be screened for sexually transmitted infections that the practice, instead of having to travel to a specialist clinic.
• The practice offered family planning and routine and emergency contraception services.
• The practice promoted the ‘You’re Welcome’ initiative for 14-19 year old patients. The aim of the initiative is to make health service young person friendly.
• We saw positive examples of joint working with midwives and health visitors. Midwife led clinics were held at the practice and quarterly meetings were held with health visitors to share information about children or parents they had concerns about. Details of any accident and emergency admissions for children were also shared with the health visitors.

Updated 15 June 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 worked closely with the Care Navigator for guidance on benefits and support available in the community, particularly for older isolated patients. Care Navigators assist patients who feel lonely or isolated, or who are struggling to cope with life at home. They can help put in place support or find activities provided by voluntary and statutory services.
• The practice maintained a register of vulnerable patients and discussed their needs on a quarterly basis with the multidisciplinary team.

Updated 15 June 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 offered on the day and pre-bookable appointments, as well as triage and telephone consultations. The practice also offered extended hours one evening a week.
• 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 15 June 2016

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

• Ninety-eight percent of patients diagnosed with dementia had had their care reviewed in a face to face meeting in the last 12 months, which was above the national average of 84%.
• Performance in three mental health related indicators were above the national average. For example, the percentage of patients with schizophrenia, bipolar affective disorder and other psychoses who had a comprehensive, agreed care plan documented in the record was 92% when compared with the national average of 88%.
• 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.
• Counselling services were available at the practice.

Updated 15 June 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 or identified as vulnerable.
• The practice offered longer appointments for patients with a learning disability.
• The practice regularly worked with multi-disciplinary teams in the case management of vulnerable people.
• The practice engaged with the travelling community, who visited the locality each year and registered at the practice.
• The practice participated in a shared care programme for patients with substance misuse. Patients were seen at the practice by a GP and a member of the Community Substance Misuse Team.
• The staff knew how to recognise signs of abuse in vulnerable adults and children. The 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.