Towcester Medical Centre

Updated 18 February 2016

Towcester Medical Centre provides primary care medical services to a practice population of approximately 8,270 patients living in Towcester and the surrounding areas. It also operates from a branch surgery in Paulerspury approximately four miles away. Services are provided under a general medical services contract (GMS) from a two storey building and all consulting rooms are on the ground floor.

It is a training practice, which has six GP partners who employ three GP registrars, three practice nurses, one health care assistant, two phlebotomists and a practice manager, who are supported by a team of administrative and reception staff. A GP Registrar or GP trainee is a qualified doctor who is training to become a GP through a period of working and training in a practice.

The main practice is open on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 8am until 6.30pm and on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8am until 8.30pm offering later appointments for those patients who cannot attend the surgery during the daytime. The branch practice at Paulerspury opens from 8am until 12 noon and 3pm until 6.30pm from Monday to Friday and provides a pharmacy dispensing facility to approximately 2,500 patients. The practice population has a higher than average number of patients in the 40 to 65 year age group and 10 to 20 year age group and data shows that the area is not one with high levels of deprivation.

When the practice is close out of hours services are provided by Integrated Care 24 via the 111 service.

Updated 18 February 2016

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Towcester Medical Centre on 9 December 2015. 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.

Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Updated 18 February 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.

• Staff were trained in various long term conditions and the practice achieved good outcomes for patients in this group.

• Longer appointments and home visits were available when needed.

• All these patients had a named GP and a structured annual review to check that their health and medicines needs were being met. For those people with the most complex needs, the named GP worked with relevant health and care professionals to deliver a multidisciplinary package of care.

Updated 18 February 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 living in disadvantaged circumstances and 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.

• 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. Postnatal checks were offered for new mothers and the practice offered a cervical screening programme in line with national guidance.

• We saw good examples of joint working with midwives, health visitors and school nurses.

Updated 18 February 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.

• It was responsive to the needs of older people, and offered home visits and urgent appointments for those with enhanced needs.

Longer appointments and home visits were available for older people when needed, and this was acknowledged positively in feedback from patients.

Updated 18 February 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 also used social media such as Twitter and Facebook to advertise health promotion messages.

Updated 18 February 2016

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

• The practice regularly worked with multi-disciplinary teams in the case management of people experiencing poor mental health, including those with dementia.

• The practice carried out annual mental health reviews and referred to the wellbeing teams and community mental health team when required.

• It carried out advance care planning for patients 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 where they may have been experiencing poor mental health.

• Staff had a good understanding of how to support people with mental health needs and dementia.

Updated 18 February 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 homeless people, travellers and those with a learning disability.

• It offered longer appointments for people with a learning disability and engaged with the special educational needs co-ordinator at the local school.

• 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.

• They had a triage service for patients requiring immediate help.