Archived: Victoria Road Surgery

Updated 26 November 2015

Victoria Road Surgery is located in Acocks Green, a suburb of Birmingham. It provides primary medical services to approximately 3685 patients in the local community. The practice has two GP partners (one male and one female), a practice manager, a practice nurse, administrative and reception staff.

The practice has 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 is open between 8.15am and 6pm on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday and from 8.15am to 1pm on Wednesdays. Extended hours are offered on a Monday and Thursday from 6pm to 7pm. In addition to pre-bookable appointments that can be booked up to six weeks in advance, urgent appointments are also available for people that need them.

The practice provides an out-of-hours service in collaboration with an out-of-hours provider with both GPs actively involved. For example, if patients call the practice when it is closed, an answerphone message gives the telephone number they should ring depending on the circumstances. Information on the out-of-hours service is provided to patients and is available on the practice’s website.

Updated 26 November 2015

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

GOOD

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Victoria Road Surgery on 30 June 2015. Overall the practice is rated as good.

Please note that when referring to information throughout this report, for example any reference to the Quality and Outcomes Framework data, this relates to the most recent information available to the CQC at that time.

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. Information about safety was recorded and monitored and evidence of analysis and shared learning was seen.

• Most risks to patients were assessed and well managed although some risk assessments such as those for the control of substances hazardous to health were not available at the practice.

• Patients’ needs were assessed and care was planned and delivered following best practice guidance. We found staff had received training appropriate to their roles although some training such as fire training had not been completed. However, the practice had identified and planned further training needs.

• Patients we spoke with and those patients who provided feedback through comments cards said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and that they felt involved in their care and decisions about their treatment.

• Information about services and how to complain was documented in the practice leaflet and patients we spoke with were aware of the process to follow if they wished to make a complaint.

• Patients said they found it easy to make an appointment with a named GP although they had to wait a long time to be seen. We found that the practice had made changes to try and reduce appointment waiting times. The practice provided 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 we found staff were very motivated and felt supported by management. The practice sought feedback from staff and patients, which it acted on.

However there were areas of practice where the provider should make improvements:

• Ensure that checks on whether emergency medicines are within their expiry date and suitable for use are consistently recorded.

• Ensure all staff have received training such as fire training and infection control training updates.

• Ensure risk assessments are in place for the control of substances hazardous to health.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Updated 26 November 2015

GOOD

The practice is rated as good for the care of people with long-term conditions. Patients with complex medical conditions were offered regular reviews to check their health and medication needs were being met. Nursing staff had lead roles in the management of chronic disease. Home visits and longer appointments were also available when required. For those people with the most complex needs, the named GP worked with relevant health and care professionals such as district nurses or community matrons to deliver a multidisciplinary package of care.

Updated 26 November 2015

GOOD

The practice is rated as good for the care of families, children and young people. There were policies, procedures and contact numbers to support and guide staff should they have any safeguarding concerns about children. The practice maintained a register of vulnerable or children in care and alerts about this were set-up on screen. The clinical team offered immunisations to children in line with the national immunisation programme and the immunisation rates for the practice were higher than local and national averages. Appointments were available outside of school hours and the premises were suitable for children and babies. Urgent access appointments were available for children and those with serious medical conditions.

Updated 26 November 2015

GOOD

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 and flu vaccination rates for the over 65s was 84%. This was above the national average of 73%. The practice offered proactive, personalised care to meet the needs of the older people in its population. Home visits were available for older patients and patients who would benefit from these with longer appointment times offered where required. It also had a range of enhanced services, for example, in end of life care.

Updated 26 November 2015

GOOD

The practice is rated as good for the care of working-age people (including those recently retired and students). The practice provided extended opening hours two days a week on a Monday and Tuesday from 6pm to 7pm for patients who were unable to visit the practice during normal working hours. The practice also offered telephone consultations and online prescription requests as well as advance bookings and same day emergency appointments. The practice was proactive in offering a full range of health promotion and screening that reflected the needs of this age group. This included health checks for patients aged 40 to 70 years of age.

Updated 26 November 2015

GOOD

The practice is rated as good for the care of people experiencing poor mental health (including people with dementia). Ninety five per cent of people experiencing poor mental health had a comprehensive agreed care plan in the preceding 12 months. The practice regularly worked with multi-disciplinary teams in the case management of people experiencing poor mental health, including those with dementia. Dementia and severe mental health registers were maintained and regular reviews offered, including physical health checks. The practice regularly signposted patients experiencing poor mental health to various support groups and voluntary organisations and where appropriate allowed extra time during appointments. Staff had received training on how to care for people experiencing poor mental health and dementia.

Updated 26 November 2015

GOOD

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 and offered longer appointments for people with a learning disability. Home visits were carried out for patients who were housebound. 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.