Archived: Snowhill Medical Centre

Updated 6 May 2016

Snowhill Medical Centre is registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) as a partnership provider based within Shelton Primary Care Centre. The practice holds a Personal Medical Services contract with NHS England.

At the time of our inspection the practice had 4,479 patients. The practice locality is one of higher deprivation when compared with both the clinical commissioning group (CCG) and national averages. The practice has a much higher proportion of patients in the birth to four years, and 20 – 34 years age groups than the national average. Conversely, the practice has a smaller proportion of patients than the national average in the aged 40 years and over group.

Staffing at the practice includes:

• Two GPs (one female and one male) working in partnership.

• Three part time GPs (two female and one male).

• One female practice nurse.

• Two female healthcare assistants.

• A practice manager and administrative team.

The practice is open from 8:30am to 6:30pm on weekdays. During these times telephone lines and the reception desk are staffed and remain open. Extended hours appointments are offered on Monday from 6:30pm to 7:45pm. When the practice is closed patients can access help by telephoning the practice, after which their call is transferred to the NHS 111 service for assistance.

The practice has opted out of providing cover to patients in the out-of-hours period. During this time services are provided by Staffordshire Doctors Urgent Care, patients access this service by calling NHS 111.

Updated 6 May 2016

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Snowhill Medical Centre on 29 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 been trained to provide them with 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. Improvements were made to the quality of care as a result of complaints and concerns.
• Patients said they found it easy to make an appointment with a named GP and 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 area where the provider should make improvement is:

• Investigate further methods to improve cervical screening uptake rates.

• Improve the identification of patients who may be carers.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Updated 6 May 2016

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

• 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.

• 87% of patients with asthma had a review of their condition within the previous year. This was higher than the CCG and national averages of 75%.

• The number of patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) who were admitted to hospital in an emergency was 36% below the CCG average.

Updated 6 May 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.

• Cervical screening rates were lower than local and national averages, although the practice did promote screening to relevant patients.

• 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

Updated 6 May 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.

• The practice had offered health assessments to all patients aged 80 years and over as part of a clinical commissioning group Local Improvement Scheme (LIS). Patients were offered an extended appointment at the practice or home visit by a GP and healthcare assistant as appropriate to the patients’ circumstances.

Updated 6 May 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 reflected the needs for this age group.

Updated 6 May 2016

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

• 93% of patients with dementia had a face to face review of their condition in the last 12 months. This was higher than the CCG average of 85% and national average of 84%.

• 98% of patients with severe poor mental health had a recent comprehensive care plan in place compared with the CCG average of 86% and national average of 88%.

• 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 6 May 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 other health care professionals in the case management of vulnerable patients.

• 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.