Archived: Heatherside Surgery

Updated 14 April 2016

Heatherside Surgery offers personal medical services to the population of the Camberley in Surrey. There are approximately 5,300 registered patients.

Heatherside Surgery is run by two partners. One of the partners is the practice manager and the other the principal GP. The practice is also supported by five salaried GPs, three practice nurses, a healthcare assistant, a team of administrative staff and a further practice manager.

The practice runs a number of services for its patients including asthma clinics,child immunisation clinics, diabetes clinics, new patient checks and holiday vaccines and advice.

Services are provided from one location:

Heatherside Surgery, 73 Cumberland Road, Camberley, Surrey, GU15 1SE

Opening Hours are:-

Monday 8:30- 1pm and 2pm – 6:30pm

Tuesday 8:30- 1pm and 2pm – 8pm

Wednesday 8:30- 1pm and 2pm – 6:30pm

Thursday 8:30- 1pm and 2pm – 8pm

Friday 8:30- 1pm and 2pm – 6:30pm

The practice is able to offer evening appointments every week day until 8pm. This service is jointly run with two other local practices.

Phone lines open at 8am and during the times when the practice is closed, the practice has arrangements for patients to access care from an Out of Hours provider.

The practice population has a higher number of patients between birth and 9 years of age, 40and 59 years of age and 85 years of age and over than the national and local Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) average. The practice population also shows a lower number of patients between 15 and 24 years of age; 30 and 39 years of age; and 60 and 65 years of age than the national and local CCG average. There is a higher than average number of patients with a long standing health condition. The percentage of registered patients suffering deprivation (affecting both adults and children) is lower than the average for England.

Updated 14 April 2016

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Heatherside Surgery on 25 February 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 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.
• Patients said they found it easy to make an appointment with a named GP and that 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.
• There was a clear leadership structure and staff felt supported by management. The practice proactively sought feedback from staff and patients, which it acted on.
• The provider was aware of and complied with the requirements of the Duty of Candour.
• The practice had reviewed patient access and was able to offer evening appointments every week day until 8pm. This service was jointly run with two other local practice.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Updated 14 April 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.
• Longer appointments and home visits were available when needed.
• 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.
• The practice provide smoking cessation services patients.

Updated 14 April 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 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.
• The practice’s uptake for the cervical screening programme was 83%, which was comparable to the national average of 82%.
• The practice actively promoted cancer screening by opportunistic health promotion from GPs and nurses.
• 68% of female patients aged 50-70, had been screened for breast cancer within the last 36 months which was comparable to the CCG average of 73%.
• Appointments were available outside of school hours and the premises were suitable for children and babies.
• We saw positive examples of joint working with midwives and health visitors.
• Practice staff had received safeguarding training relevant to their role and knew how to respond if they suspected abuse.
• Safeguarding policies and procedures were readily available to staff.
• The practice ensured that children needing emergency appointments would be seen on the day.

Updated 14 April 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.
• Older patients with complex care needs and those at risk of hospital admission all had personalised care plans that were shared with local organisations to facilitate the continuity of care.
• We saw evidence that the practice was working to the Gold Standards Framework for those patients with end of life care needs.
• The practice was proactive in inviting patients to the practice for an over 75 health check.
• The GPs telephoned patients on discharge from hospital to offer support, and enquire whether a visit or other assistance was required.

Updated 14 April 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.
• The practice offered advice by telephone each day for those patients who had difficulty in attending the practice and there were daily evening emergency appointments available.
• The practice had reviewed patient access and was able to offer evening appointments every week day until 8pm. This service was jointly run with two other local practices.
• Electronic Prescribing was available which enabled patients to order their medicine on line and to collect it from a pharmacy of their choice, which could be closer to their place of work if required.
• The practice offered NHS health-checks and advice for diet and weight reduction.
• The nurse was trained to offer smoking cessation advice.

Updated 14 April 2016

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

• 100% of patients diagnosed with schizophrenia, bipolar affective disorder and other psychoses had a comprehensive, agreed care plan documented in the record, in the preceding 12 which was higher than the national 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.

Updated 14 April 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 multi-disciplinary teams in the case management of vulnerable people.
• 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.
• The practice could accommodate those patients with limited mobility or who used wheelchairs.
• The practice provided an auditory loop in the practice for those patients with hearing difficulties.
• Carers and those patients who had carers, were flagged on the practice computer system and were signposted to the local carers support team.