Updated 13 December 2018
The provider, Ridge Green Medical Practice, delivers regulated activities from its main and branch sites. The branch site at Freshbrook was not visited as part of this inspection.
The addresses for the main and branch sites are:
Ridge Green Medical Centre
Ramleaze Drive,
Shaw
Swindon
SN5 5PX
Tel: 01793 874894
The Freshbrook Surgery
Freshbrook Village Centre
Freshbrook
Swindon
SN5 8LY
Tel: 01793 870494
Website (for main and branch sites): www.ridgegreen.org.uk
Ridge Green Medical Practice is based in Swindon, Wiltshire, and is one of 24 practices serving the NHS Swindon Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) area. A staffed reception area is located on the ground floor, along with rooms for GP consulting, counselling and nurse treatment.
The practice has around 10,881 registered patients from an area surrounding the practice and Swindon town centre. The practice age distribution is broadly in line with the national average, with most patients being of working age or older.
The practice has a Personal Medical Services (PMS) contract to deliver health care services. PMS contracts are locally-agreed alternatives to the standard General Medical Services contract, and used when services are agreed locally with a practice. They may include additional services beyond the standard contract.
Ridge Green Medical Practice provides the following regulated activities:
- Treatment of disease, disorder or injury
- Diagnostic and screening procedures
- Maternity and midwifery services
There are two GP partners (both male) and seven locum GPs (five of whom have been working at the practice on a long-term basis). The wider clinical team consists of two nurse practitioners, two practice nurses, one treatment room nurse and one phlebotomist. The practice manager (who is also a partner) is concerned with the day-to-day running of the practice. The practice team includes reception, administrative and secretarial staff.
90% of the practice population describes itself as white, and around 10% as having a Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) background. A measure of deprivation in the local area recorded a score of 9, on a scale of 1-10. A higher score indicates a less deprived area. (Note that the circumstances and lifestyles of the people living in an area affect its deprivation score. Not everyone living in a deprived area is deprived and not all deprived people live in deprived areas).
Ridge Green Medical Practice is open from 8.30am to 12.30pm, and 2pm to 6pm, Monday to Friday, and the practice will take calls during these times. Routine and urgent GP appointments are also available during these times. A telephone triage service is available from 8am-8.30am; and a duty doctor between 12.30pm and 2pm. This information is available as an answer machine message.
The practice has opted out of providing Out-Of-Hours services to its own patients. Outside of normal practice hours, patients can access the NHS 111 service, and an Out-Of-Hours GP is available at Swindon Walk-In Centre. Information about the Out-Of-Hours service was available on the practice website, in the patient registration pack, and as an answerphone message.