Archived: Moulsham Lodge Surgery

Updated 17 September 2015

Moulsham Lodge Surgery has a patient population of 7100. The practice is managed by a GP partnership of three GPs who hold joint financial and managerial responsibility for the practice. The practice team comprises three GP partners two male GPs and a female GP, a salaried female GP, a prescribing nurse, practice nurses and healthcare assistants. They are supported by an administrative team consisting of reception staff, IT support and analytics, medical secretary overseen by the practice manager.

The practice holds a General Medical Services contract with NHS England who commissions the services.

The practice phone lines are open from 8am to 6.30pm Monday to Friday. The phone lines are closed between 12.30pm and 1.30pm when patients are directed to the practice’s on call doctor. All appointments are pre-booked and these can be made on line, by phone or in person. Routine appointments may be booked up to four weeks in advance; alternatively patients can telephone at 8am to request an on-the-day appointment. Urgent appointments for patients are available on the day. Patients will be seen by which ever GP or nurse practitioner is available or alternatively patients may be offered a telephone triage with a GP or nurse practitioner to discuss their concern.

The practice maintains a comprehensive website that can be translated into a number of languages. It provides a range of information relating to their services including details of the appointment system, staff, clinics provided, practice news and the practice contact details.

The practice patient profile is similar to the national profile but with significantly lower levels of economic deprivation.

The practice has opted out of providing out-of-hours services to their own patients. Patients are advised to call 111 when they require medical assistance that is not an emergency. NHS 111 is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Updated 17 September 2015

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Moulsham Lodge Surgery on 05 August 2015. Overall the practice is rated as good.

Specifically, we found the practice to be good for providing safe, well-led, effective, caring and responsive services. It was also good for providing services for older people, people with long-term conditions, families, children and young people, working age people (including those recently retired and students), people living in vulnerable circumstances, and people experiencing poor mental health (including people with dementia).

Our key findings across all 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, monitored, appropriately reviewed and addressed.
• Risks to patients were assessed and well managed but their assessments would benefit from further development.
• Patients’ needs were assessed and care was planned and delivered following best practice guidance. Staff had received training appropriate to their roles and any further training needs had been identified and planned.
• 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 they were able 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.

However there were areas of practice where the provider needs to make improvements.

Importantly the provider should

• Ensure records are maintained for all meetings held.
• Ensure cleaning records are maintained and reflective of the cleaning undertaken.
• Ensure risk assessments are reflective of current risk. Where issues have been identified the provider should record who has been assigned actions, timescales for completion and when the task had been completed.
• Take steps to provide all staff with fire safety and evacuation training

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 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. Health promotional information was also available within the waiting areas specifically for patients with long-term conditions.

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. 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. We saw good examples of joint working with midwives, health visitors and school nurses. Patients also benefitted from a GP with specialist interest in gynaecology. Health promotional information was available within the waiting areas specifically for women regarding pre and postnatal care and sexual health advice services for young people.

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. It was responsive to the needs of older people, identifying and co-ordinating care within a multidisciplinary team and offered home visits.

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 services that reflects the needs for this age group. Patients benefitted from GPs with specialist interests enabling patients access to specialist clinics and advice in areas such as ears nose and throat, dermatology, gynaecology, gastroenterology and cardiology.

Updated 17 September 2015

The practice is rated as good for the care of people experiencing poor mental health (including people with dementia). The practice regularly worked with multi-disciplinary teams in the case management of people experiencing poor mental health. It had a broad range of literature available to assist patients with advance care planning for patients. The practice had told patients experiencing poor mental health about how to access various support groups and voluntary organisations.

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 and those with a learning disability. Although, the practice did not conduct annual health checks for people with a learning disability.

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.