Archived: Owlthorpe Medical Centre

Updated 16 May 2017

Owlthorpe Medical Centre is located in a purpose built health centre in Owlthorpe and accepts patients from the surrounding area. Public Health England data shows the practice population has a higher than average number of patients aged over 50 years of age compared to the England average. The practice catchment area has been identified as one of the eighth least deprived areas nationally.

The practice provides Primary Medical Services (PMS) under a contract with NHS England for 4643 patients in the NHS Sheffield Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) area. It also offers a range of enhanced services such as childhood vaccination and immunisations.

Owlthorpe Medical Centre has three female GP partners and two male salaried GPs, two practice nurses, three healthcare assistants, a practice manager and an experienced team of reception and administration staff. The practice is a training practice for student nurses.

The practice is open 8am to 6pm Monday to Friday with the exception of Thursdays when the practice closes at 4pm. The GP Collaborative provides cover when the practice is closed from 4pm on a Thursday afternoon. Extended hours are offered on a Tuesday and Wednesday morning 7.30am to 8am and Wednesday evenings until 7pm. Morning and afternoon appointments are offered daily Monday to Friday.

When the practice is closed between 6.30pm and 8am patients are directed to contact the NHS 111 service. The Sheffield GP Collaborative provides cover when the practice is closed between 8am and 6.30pm. For example, at lunchtime. Patients are informed of this when they telephone the practice number.

As part of the Care Quality Commission (Registration) Regulations 2009: Regulation 15, we noted the GP partners registered with the Care Quality Commission as the partnership did not reflect the GP partners at the practice. The practice manager told us application forms were currently being progressed through CQC to include the new GP partner. We also noted at the inspection on 6 September 2016 that the regulated activities the practice were undertaking did not reflect the registration. The practice manager confirmed at the inspection on 24 April 2017 that the practice were not currently undertaking this regulated activity and an application form was in the process of being submitted to CQC.

Updated 16 May 2017

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Owlthorpe Medical Centre on 6 September 2016. The overall rating for the practice was good with requires improvement in safe. The full comprehensive report from 6 September 2016 can be found by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Owlthorpe Medical Centre on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

This inspection was an announced focused inspection carried out on 24 April 2017 to confirm that the practice had carried out their plan to meet the legal requirements in relation to the breach in regulations that we identified in our previous inspection on 6 September 2016. This report covers our findings in relation to those requirements and also additional improvements made since our last inspection.

Overall the practice is rated good. Specifically, following the focused inspection we found the practice to be rated good for providing safe services.

Our key findings were as follows:

• The practice had implemented a system to track and monitor the movement of blank prescriptions within the practice in line with the NHS Protect Safety of Prescriptions Forms Guidance.

• Patient Group Directives (PGD’s) had been signed by the practice nurses and the authorising representative of the practice allowing the practice nurses to administer medicines in line with legislation.

• A fire drill had been carried out on 20 April 2017. A diarised system to ensure this was completed annually had been implemented.

• A system to check the emergency oxygen cylinder and the defibrillator weekly had been implemented to ensure emergency equipment was in good working order.

• Clinical and full staff meetings had been formalised. A rota of meetings had been scheduled throughout the year and minutes of these meetings were produced and available to all staff.

Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Updated 15 November 2016

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

• The GPs had lead roles in long term condition 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.

Updated 15 November 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 high for all standard childhood immunisations.

• Staff 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.

• Data showed 90% of women eligible for a cervical screening test had received one in the previous five years compared to the national average of 82%.

• 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.The practice held six weekly safeguarding meetings with health visitors and midwives at the practice.

Updated 15 November 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 percentage of patients aged 65 or over who received a seasonal flu vaccination was 80%, higher than the national average of 73%.

Updated 15 November 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 offered early morning appointments two days a week and one evening a week at the practice and weekend and evening appointments at a local practice through the Sheffield satellite clinical scheme.

• 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 15 November 2016

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

• Of those patients diagnosed with dementia, 100% had received a face to face review of their care in the last 12 months, which is higher than the national average of 84%.

• The practice regularly worked with multidisciplinary teams in the case management of patients experiencing poor mental health, including those living with dementia.

• The practice carried out advance care planning for patients with dementia.

• The practice had advised 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. The GP told us the practice would facilitate attendance by using the first appointment slot of the clinic for patients who found it difficult to attend the practice.

• The practice hosted Improving Access to Psychological Therapies Programme (IAPT), a counselling service to support patients’ needs.

Updated 15 November 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 those with a learning disability.

• The practice arranged, in conjunction with the local authority, a door to door bus service for patients who were unable to easily access the practice. The practice had implemented this as it recognised there was no public transport facilities that passed by the practice and patients who did not have their own transport and were less mobile may struggle to access services.

• The practice offered longer appointments for patients with a learning disability and most staff had received training in learning disability awareness.

• The practice regularly worked with other health care professionals in the case management of patients who may be vulnerable.

• The practice informed vulnerable patients about how to access various support groups and voluntary organisations.

• The practice hosted a community support worker who would advise and signpost patients to services. For example, information on housing and social care or support to join local social activities.

• 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.