Barwell & Hollycroft Medical Centre

Updated 19 June 2018

Barwell Medical Centre is located in the village of Barwell and there is also a branch site located in Hinckley. Barwell Medical Centre is located at Jersey Way, Barwell, Leicester, LE9 8HR . Hollycroft Medical Centre is located at Clifton Way, Hinckley, Leicester, LE10 0XN. . During our inspection we did not visit the Hollycroft branch in Hinckley.

The practice holds a General Medical Services (GMS) contract, this is a nationally agreed contract commissioned by NHS England. Between both sites, there are 12400 registered patients. There is a similar ratio between male and female patients across the different age groups with slightly more females than males aged 85 or over.

The practice is located within the area covered by NHS West Leicestershire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG). The CCG is responsible for commissioning services from the practice. A CCG is an organisation that brings together local GP’s and experienced health professionals to take on commissioning responsibilities for local health services.

There are four GP partners assisted by three salaried GPs. The nursing team consists of a practice nurse and an emergency care practitioner and an advanced care practitioner is due to start in May 2018. There are two healthcare assistants. There is a practice manager in post supported by five administrators and 9 reception staff.

The practice offers a range of clinics for chronic disease management, diabetes, heart disease, cervical screening, contraception advice, joint injections and vaccinations.

Appointments times at both sites are:

• From 8.30am until 11.30am each weekday. For patients who need an urgent appointment, telephone calls and triaging and if necessary appointments are offered.
• From 3pm until 5.30pm each weekday. If necessary telephone calls to patients beyond the practice closing time until all calls have been completed.
• Patients who request a home visit may be contacted by telephone to enable GPs to prioritise which need to be seen first.

The practice has one location registered with the Care Quality Commission:- Barwell Medical Centre Jersey Way, Barwell, Leicester, LE9 8HR and the branch surgery is located at Hollycroft Medical Centre is located at Clifton Way, Hinckley, Leicester, LE10 0XN.

The practice is registered to provide the following Regulated Activities:

• Diagnostic and screening procedures
• Family planning
• Maternity and midwifery services
• Surgical procedures
• Treatment of disease, disorder or injury

The practice has opted out of providing GP services to patients out of hours. When the practice is closed, there is a recorded message providing details of the out of hours’ provider, Derbyshire Health United (DHU). The practice leaflet includes contact information and there are out of hours’ leaflets in the waiting area for patients to take away with them. Information was also on the practice website.

Updated 19 June 2018

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Barwell & Hollycroft Medical Centre on 30 November 2016. The purpose built premises of the branch practice, Hollycroft Medical Centre were not inspected.

Our key findings across all of 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. Significant events were investigated, acted on when necessary and learning shared with staff.

• Risks to patients were assessed and well managed. There were safe systems for prescribing medicines.

• Staffing levels were monitored to ensure they reflected patients’ needs. Effective staff recruitment procedures ensured that only suitable staff were employed.

• The practice worked closely with other health and social care organisations and with the local community in planning how services were provided to ensure that they met patients’ needs. For example, clinical staff had identified patients who were frail and their needs were discussed with other participating health professionals to assess and plan on-going care and treatment.

• Staff had been trained to provide them with the skills, knowledge and experience to deliver effective care and treatment and any further training had been identified and planned.

• We observed that patients were treated with compassion, dignity and respect.

• The latest data published showed that patient satisfaction in respect of care and access to the service were rated mostly in line with the local and national averages. An action plan had been developed to address any results that were below average.

• Information about how to make a complaint was readily available and easy to understand. Complaints were dealt with in a timely appropriate way.

• There was a clear leadership structure and staff told us they felt well supported by senior staff. Management sought feedback from patients and staff, which it acted on. The governance system monitored the quality of care and the overall performance across the practice.

We saw an area of outstanding practice:

• The practice had an established Patient Participation Group (PPG) and liaised via email. PPG are a group of patients registered with a practice who work with the practice to improve services and the quality of care. We spoke with one member of the PPG. They told us that their regular meetings were open meetings when between 20 and 25 patients attended. A GP also attended the meetings so that explanations could be given. This had led to changes in the way that the practice worked. For example, the introduction of text telephone reminders regarding booked appointments and investigations around patients who failed to attend for their appointments. The PPG was also involved in other local initiatives such as health promotion events, for example diabetes prevention, and they were developing befriending schemes.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Updated 27 April 2017

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

• Nursing staff had lead roles in chronic disease management and carrying patient reviews.

• Patients with long-term conditions had structured annual reviews to check that their health and medicine needs were being met. Where necessary reviews were carried out more often.

• Data for 2015-2016 showed the percentage of patients with atrial fibrillation (irregular heart beat) who had received a review was 96%, which was higher than the CCG average of 90% and the national average of 87%. The practice exception rating was 7%, compared with the CCG and national averages of 7%.

• Clinical staff worked with health care professionals to deliver a multidisciplinary package of care for patients.

• Where necessary patients in this population group had a personalised care plan in place which were regularly reviewed.

• Longer appointments and home visits were available when needed.

Updated 27 April 2017

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.

• Alerts were put onto the electronic record when safeguarding concerns were raised.

• There was regular liaison and regular meetings with the health visitor to review those children who were considered to be at risk of harm.

• All children were given a same day telephone or face to face consultation.

• Patients and their children told us that children and young people were treated in an age-appropriate way and were recognised as individuals.

• Pre-bookable appointments were available after school hours until 5.30pm each weekday.

• Childhood vaccinations for two and five year olds were above the anticipated 90% requirement.

Updated 27 April 2017

The practice is rated good for the care of older people.

• Patients who required on-going care were assessed and clinical staff developed personalised care plans to meet the needs of older patients. Care plans were regularly reviewed to ensure they met patients’ needs.

• Staff kept up to date registers of patients’ health conditions and information was held to alert staff if a patient had complex needs.

• Home visits were provided for those who were unable to access the practice.

• Patients with enhanced needs were given prompt access to appointments.

• Practice staff worked with other agencies and health providers to provide patient support. For example, Age UK.

• Older patients were offered annual health checks and where necessary, care, treatment and support arrangements were implemented.

Updated 27 April 2017

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

• Telephone consultations were available for those patients who found it difficult to attend the practice or if they were unsure whether they needed a face to face appointment.

• Online services were available for booking appointments and ordering repeat prescriptions.

• Health promotion advice was available and there was a full range of health promotion material available in the practice. The practice website gave advice to patients about how to treat minor ailments without the need to be seen by a GP.

• Staff actively encouraged patients to attend for health screening, such as, breast and bowel cancer. Data for 2015-2016 informed us that the cervical screening rate of 78% was in line with the local average and above the national average of 73%.

Updated 27 April 2017

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

• Patients who experienced poor mental health were offered an annual physical health check.

• GPs carried out assessments of patients who experienced memory loss in order to capture early diagnosis of dementia. This enabled staff to put a care package in place that provided health and social care support systems to promote patients well-being.

• Practice staff regularly worked with multi-disciplinary teams in the case management of patients who experienced poor mental health, including those with dementia.

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

• Referrals to other health care professionals were made when necessary such as the community psychiatric nurse team.

Updated 27 April 2017

The practice is rated 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 who had a learning disability.

• Annual health checks were offered to who had a learning disability. There were a total of 43 patients on the register and at the time of the inspection 41 of these patients had received their annual health check.

• Practice staff regularly worked with multi-disciplinary teams in the case management of vulnerable patients.

• There was a process in place to signpost vulnerable patients to additional support services.

• Staff knew how to recognise signs of abuse, the actions they should take and their responsibilities regarding information sharing.

• There was a clinical lead for dealing with vulnerable adults and children.

• The practice kept a register of the 1.3% of patients who were carers. Clinical staff offered them guidance, signposted them to support groups and offered them a flu vaccination each year.