Diamond Medical Group

Updated 24 August 2016

Rutland Lodge Medical Practice is located in Rutland Lodge Medical Centre, Scott Hall Road, Leeds, LS7 3RA. There is also a branch site, Carlton Gardens Surgery which is located at 27 Carlton Gardens, Leeds, LS7 1JL. Both sites are part of the Leeds North Clinical Commissioning Group. We visited both sites as part of our inspection.

The practice serves a population of approximately 9218 patients and the service is provided by four GP partners (two male and two female). The partners are supported by two salaried GPs and an advanced nurse practitioner, two practices nurses and a health care assistant. The clinical staff are supported by an experienced team of administration staff.

The practice is classed as being in the one of the more deprived areas in England. Rated as being in the third decile.

Patients can access a number of clinics for example; asthma and diabetes, smoking and baby clinics and the practice offers services such as childhood vaccinations and cervical smears.

Rutland Lodge Medical Practice is open as follows:

Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 8am to 6pm

Tuesday and Thursday 8am to 7pm

Carlton Surgery is open as follows:

Monday to Friday 8am to 1pm

When the practice is closed out-of-hours services are provided by Local Care Direct, which can be accessed via the surgery telephone number or by calling the NHS 111 service.

Services are provided under a general medical services contract. This is the contract held between the practice and NHS Commissioners. They also offer a range of enhanced services such as influenza, pneumococcal and childhood immunisations.

The practice has good working relationships with local health, social and third sector services to support provision of care for its patients. The third sector includes a very diverse range of organisations including voluntary and community groups.

Updated 24 August 2016

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Rutland Lodge Medical Practice on 23 March 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 been trained to provide them with 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. Improvements were made to the quality of care as a result of complaints and concerns.
• Patients said they found it easy to make an appointment with a named GP and 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.
• The provider was aware of and complied with the requirements of the duty of candour.

The areas where the provider should make improvement are: 

• Continue to review access to appointments and ways to improve patient experience.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Updated 24 August 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.
• 100% of patients with diabetes had received an influenza immunisation in the preceding 6 months; CCG average 95%, England average 94%.
• 92% of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) had a review, including assessment of breathlessness, in the preceding 12 months.
• The practice ran an evening educational group session for patients identified as being pre-diabetic.
• Longer appointments and home visits were available when needed.
• The practice was participating in the ‘Year of Care’ programme. This approach encouraged patients to understand their condition and have a more active part in determining their own care and support needs in partnership with clinicians.
• 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 24 August 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 accident and emergency (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.
• 75% of women aged 25 or over, and who had not attained the age of 65, had a record of cervical screening being performed in the preceding five years. This was lower than the CCG and England average of 82%. However, the practice had appointed a cervical screening champion to increase uptake.
• The practice offered baby clinics for childhood immunisations. The practice had a good relationship with health visitors who attended monthly multi-disciplinary meetings.
• Appointments were available outside of school hours and the premises were suitable for children and babies.
• The practice provided first aid training sessions for patients and the local community at their local ’Sure Start’ service.

Updated 24 August 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 provided proactive, responsive and personalised care to meet the needs of the older people in its population. Home visits and urgent appointments were available for those patients in need.
• The practice worked closely with neighbourhood teams such as the’ Leeds Black Elders’ Association to ensure appropriate care plans were in place for people with complex needs.
• Care plans were in place for those patients who were considered to have a high risk of an unplanned hospital admission and patients were reviewed regularly.
• The practice offered Saturday flu and shingles clinics to enable elderly patients to attend with carers who may work during normal surgery hours.
• Patients were signposted to other services for access to additional support, particularly for those who were isolated or lonely.
• The practice had high seating in the waiting area to comfortably accommodate patients who had mobility difficulties.

Updated 24 August 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.
• Appointments were available until 7pm on Tuesday and Thursday evenings at the Rutland Lodge site, to enable patients to access appointments out of work hours.
• Daily telephone consultations were available for patients who were not able to attend the practice for an appointment.
• In addition to the practice website, the practice also used social media to communicate information to patients

Updated 24 August 2016

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

• 88% 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 local average of 86% and national average of 84%.
• 96% of patients who had a complex mental health problem, such as schizophrenia, bipolar affective disorder and other psychoses, had a comprehensive, agreed care plan documented in their record in the preceding 12 months (CCG average 90% and England average of 88%).
• 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 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.
• The practice had an alert on the clinical system to advise staff and enable appointments to be unblocked for patients in this population group.

Updated 24 August 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.
• The practice offered longer appointments for patients with a learning disability.
• The practice regularly worked with other health care professionals in the case management of vulnerable patients.
• 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.
• Staff within the practice were aware of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and the signs to look for to identify patients who may be vulnerable to this.
• The practice hosted drug and alcohol clinics to support patients with addiction.