Archived: Dr B Das Also known as Benim Medical Centre

Updated 25 August 2017

Dr B Das’s practice, Benim Medical Centre, Penvalley Crescent, Liverpool is situated in a purpose built medical centre shared with another practice in a deprived area of Liverpool. There were approximately 3400 patients on the practice list at the time of our inspection. The practice has a higher number than average number of unemployed patients and higher than average number with a long standing health condition.

The practice is managed by three GP partners (two male, one female). There is an advanced nurse clinician, practice nurse and healthcare assistant. Members of clinical staff are supported by the practice manager and an assistant manager, reception and administration staff. The practice is a training practice for medical students.

The practice is open 8am to 6.30pm every weekday. Patients requiring a GP outside of normal working hours are advised to contact the local out of hours provider (UC24) or NHS 111. The practice has a General Medical Services (GMS) contract with NHS England and is part of Liverpool Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).

Updated 25 August 2017

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Dr B Das on 5 November 2015. The overall rating for the practice was requires improvement and requirement notices were made as improvements were needed in the safety and suitability of the premises and to governance systems. The full comprehensive report on the November 2015 inspection can be found by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Dr B Das on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

This inspection was undertaken on 25 July 2017 and was an announced comprehensive inspection.

Overall the practice is rated as good.

Our key findings across all the areas we inspected were as follows:

• There were systems in place to reduce risks to patient safety, for example, equipment checks were carried out, there were systems to protect patients from the risks associated with insufficient staffing levels and to prevent the spread of infection.

• Staff understood and fulfilled their responsibilities to raise concerns and report incidents and near misses. Staff were aware of procedures for safeguarding patients from the risk of abuse.
• Patients’ needs were assessed and care was planned and delivered following best practice guidance.

• Staff felt supported. They had access to training and development opportunities appropriate to their roles.

• Patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect. We saw staff treated patients with kindness and respect.

• Services were planned and delivered to take into account the needs of different and diverse patient groups.

• Access to the service was monitored to ensure it met the needs of patients.

• There was a system in place to manage complaints.

• There were systems in place to monitor and improve quality and identify risk.

However, there were areas of practice where the provider needs to make improvements and the provider should:

• Review the system for reviewing significant events and complaints on a regular basis in order to identify themes and trends and learn from these.

• Review the system for documenting action taken in response to patient safety alerts.

• Review policies and procedures for infection prevention and control to ensure a full range of policies are available to govern activity and reduce risks.

• Review the system for cleaning of clinical equipment.

• Consider implementing a quality improvement programme which includes clinical audits being undertaken in response to local and national priorities.

• Consider the development of the patient participation group to actively encourage seeking feedback from this means.

• Continue to identify and support patients who are also carers

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Updated 25 August 2017

The practice is rated as good for the care of people with long-term conditions.

• The practice held information about the prevalence of specific long term conditions within its patient population. This included conditions such as diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), cardio vascular disease and hypertension. The information was used to target service provision, for example to ensure patients who required regular checks received these.

• The practice nurse and healthcare assistant specialised in long-term/chronic disease management and provided regular, structured reviews of patients’ health.

• The practice followed up on patients with long-term conditions discharged from hospital and ensured that their care plans were updated to reflect any additional needs.

• There was a system to recall patients for a structured annual review to check their health and medicines needs were being met. For those patients with the most complex needs, the GP worked with relevant health and care professionals to deliver a multidisciplinary package of care.

• The practice held weekly clinics to monitor and advise patients with high blood pressure.

• The practice held regular multi-disciplinary meetings to discuss patients with complex needs and patients receiving end of life care.

• Longer appointments and home visits were available for patients with long term conditions when these were required.

• Patients with multiple long term conditions could be offered a single appointment to avoid multiple visits to the surgery.

Updated 25 August 2017

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

• From the sample of documented examples we reviewed we found there were systems 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.

• Appointments were available outside of school hours and the premises were suitable for children and babies.

• All children under the age of five were offered same day appointments and all children under the age of 11 were assessed by telephone as to the need for urgency of an appointment.

• The practice worked with midwives, health visitors and school nurses to support this population group. For example, in the provision of ante-natal, post-natal and child health surveillance clinics.

Updated 25 August 2017

The practice is rated as good for the care of older people. The practice kept registers of patients’ health conditions and used this information to plan reviews of health care and to offer services such as vaccinations for flu and shingles.

• Staff were able to recognise the signs of abuse in older patients and knew how to escalate any concerns.

• The practice offered proactive, personalised care to meet the needs of the older patients in its population.

• All patients over the age of 75years had been allocated a named GP.

• The practice was responsive to the needs of older patients, and offered home visits, extended appointments and urgent appointments for those with enhanced needs.

• The practice identified at an early stage older patients who may need palliative care as they were approaching the end of life. It involved older patients in planning and making decisions about their care, including their end of life care.

• The practice followed up on older patients discharged from hospital and ensured that their care plans were updated to reflect any extra needs.

• Older patients were provided with health promotional advice and support to help them to maintain their health and independence for as long as possible. For example, carrying out over 75’s health checks, fall prevention assessments and Flu vaccinations for the elderly.

Updated 25 August 2017

The practice is rated as good for the care of working age people (including those recently retired and students).

• The needs of these populations had been identified and the practice had adjusted the services it offered to ensure these were accessible, flexible and offered continuity of care, for example, telephone consultations and an electronic prescribing service.

• The practice was proactive in offering online and text messaging services as well as a full range of health promotion and screening that reflects the needs for this age group.

• The practice offered health promotion and screening that reflected the needs of this population group such as cervical screening, NHS health checks, contraceptive services, smoking cessation advice and family planning services.

Updated 25 August 2017

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

• The practice held a register of patients experiencing poor mental health. The register supported clinical staff to offer patients experiencing poor mental health, including dementia, an annual health check and a medication review.

• Care plans were developed to support patients and patient records were coded with carers’ details to enable them to attend with the patient where appropriate.

• Accident and emergency attendance was monitored for patients identified as a high risk.

• The practice had a system for monitoring repeat prescribing for patients receiving medicines for mental health needs.

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

• The practice had information available for patients experiencing poor mental health about how they could access various support groups and voluntary organisations.

• The practice referred patients to appropriate services such as memory clinics, psychiatry and counselling services.

Updated 25 August 2017

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, alcohol and substance misuse and asylum seekers. Patients’ electronic records contained alerts for staff regarding patients requiring additional assistance.

• End of life care was delivered in a coordinated way which took into account the needs of those whose circumstances may make them vulnerable.

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

• The practice looks after patients in a local care home who have severe learning disabilities and visits weekly.

• The practice had information available for vulnerable patients about how to access various support groups and voluntary organisations. Services for carers were publicised and a record was kept of carers to ensure they had access to appropriate services

• Staff interviewed knew how to recognise signs of abuse in children, young people and adults whose circumstances may make them vulnerable. They 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.