Archived: Haydon Bridge and Allendale Medical Practice Also known as HAVMED

Updated 17 September 2015

Haydon Bridge and Allendale Medical Practice are located in rural villages in Northumberland. The practice merged as a new partnership in April 2014. The practice provides services to just under 5500 from the following address, which we visited during this inspection:

• Haydon Bridge Health Centre, North Bank, Haydon Bridge, Northumberland, NE47 6LA
• Allendale Health Centre, Shilburn Road, Allendale, Hexham, NE47 9LG.

The practice provides services to patients of all ages based on a General Medical Services (GMS) contract agreement for general practice. The catchment area for the practice is Haydon Bridge, Cawfield, Twice Brewed, Sewing Shields, Chollerford, Wall, Fourstones, Newbrough, Warden, Acomb, Melkridge, Henshaw, Bardon Mill, Riley, Lowgate, Whitfield, Catton, Allendale, Ninebanks, Sinderhope, Sparty Lea, Carrshield, Coalcleugh, and Allendheads.

The Haydon Bridge Health Centre is a dispensing practice. This means under certain criteria they can supply eligible patients with medicines directly.

They serve an area with lower levels of deprivation affecting children and people aged 65 and over, when compared to the England average. The practice’s population includes more patients aged 65 and over, than the average for other practices in England. The majority of patients were of white British background.

The average male life expectancy is 79 years and the average female life expectancy is 83. These are the same as the England average. The number of patients reporting with a long-standing health condition is slightly lower than the national average (practice population 50.2% compared to a national average of 54.0%). The number of patients with health-related problems in daily life is lower than the national average (40.1% compared to 48.8% nationally). There are a higher number of patients with caring responsibilities at 22.1% compared to 18.2% nationally.

The practice is a training practice with four GP partners. There is also one GP registrar (fully-qualified doctors who spend time working in a practice to develop their skills in general practice), three practice nurses, three healthcare assistants and a team of administrative support staff. The practice opening hours are as follows:-

Allendale Opening Times

Monday: 8am to 6pm

Tuesday: 8am to 6pm with a late evening surgery until 8pm on alternate weeks

Wednesday: 8am to 12:30pm

Thursday: 8am to 6pm

Friday: 8am to 6pm

Haydon Bridge Opening Times

Monday: 8am to 6pm

Tuesday: 8am to 6pm

Wednesday: 8am to 6pm (Closed from 12:00 on the 4th week of the month for training purposes)

Thursday: 8am to 6pm with a late evening surgery until 8pm alternate weeks

Friday: 8am to 6pm

The service for patients requiring urgent medical attention out of hours is provided by the 111 service and Northern Doctors Medical Services Limited.

Updated 17 September 2015

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Haydon Bridge and Allendale Medical Practice on 16 July 2015. 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 mitigate safety risks including analysing significant events and safeguarding. The premises were clean and tidy. Arrangements in the practice for managing medicines, including emergency drugs and vaccines, kept patient safe. There were appropriate recruitment checks in place.
• Patients had their needs assessed in line with current guidance and the practice had a holistic approach to patient care. The practice promoted health education to empower patients to live healthier lives.
• Feedback from patients and observations throughout our inspection showed the staff were kind, caring and helpful.
• The practice had systems in place to respond to and act on patient complaints and feedback. Services were planned and delivered to take into account the needs of different patient groups and to help provide flexibility, choice and continuity of care. Results from the National GP Patient Survey showed that patients’ satisfaction with how they could access care and treatment was comparable to local and national averages. In the survey 100% described their overall experience as good and 100% said they would recommend the surgery to family and friends.
• The practice had a clear vision to deliver high quality care and promote good outcomes for patients. The practice had fully involved stakeholders in the decision to merge the two practices in April 2014. The patient participation group (PPG) was supporting the practice to improve. The staff worked well together as a team.

The areas where the provider should make improvement are:

• Review as planned the policy and procedures relating to the chaperone service, to ensure patients and staff are protected by having appropriately recruited and trained chaperones.
• Continue to monitor and improve their approach to infection control by regularly undertaking an audit of their infection control procedures.
• Ensure at the branch surgery that blank prescriptions are recorded in accordance with national guidance to reduce the risk of theft or misuse.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Updated 17 September 2015

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 an emergency hospital admission were identified as a priority. 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 medication 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 17 September 2015

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. A drop in clinic was available to young people registered with the practice where they could receive health advice or treatment including sexual health services. We saw good examples of joint working with midwives, health visitors and school nurses.

Updated 17 September 2015

The practice is rated as good for the care of older people. Nationally reported data showed that outcomes for patients were good for conditions commonly found in older people. The practice offered proactive, personalised care to meet the needs of the older people in its population and provided a range of enhanced services, for example, in dementia and end of life care. It was responsive to the needs of older people, and offered home visits and rapid access appointments for those with enhanced needs.

Updated 17 September 2015

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.

Updated 17 September 2015

The practice is rated as good for the care of people with poor mental health (including patients with dementia). The practice held a register of patients experiencing poor mental health and there was evidence they carried out annual health checks for these patients. The practice regularly worked with the multi-disciplinary teams in case management of people experiencing poor mental health, including those with dementia.

The practice had told patients experiencing poor mental health about how to access various support groups and voluntary organisations including MIND and SANE. They had systems in place to follow up patients who had attended Accident and Emergency (A&E).

Updated 17 September 2015

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 had carried out annual health checks and offered longer appointments for people with a learning disabilities.

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.