Archived: Silsden Group Practice

Updated 17 March 2016

Silsden Group Practice serves a registered population of 11,000 people. It covers a rural population surrounding the villages of Silsden and Steeton in West Yorkshire. It is an area in the third least deprived decile in the country.

Regulated activity is provided from Silsden Medical Practice which is based in a purpose built surgery in the village of Silsden, while Steeton is served by an older branch surgery in the village. Patients are able to use either facility.

The practice has four GP partners (two male and two female), five salaried GPs and an Advanced Nurse Practitioner. The nursing team consists of four registered nurses and a phlebotomist.

The practice is a training practice both for doctors in the second year following qualification and GP registrars (doctors specialising in becoming a GP).

When the practice is closed services are provided by Local Care Direct (LCD) which are conatacted either by using the GP practice number or 111.

Updated 17 March 2016

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Silsden Group Practice on 18 January 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 after a first consultation, therefore 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.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Updated 17 March 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.
• The percentage of patients who had a blood pressure reading within the normal range in the preceding 12 months was 86%, higher than the national average of 78%.
• 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 medicines 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 March 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 accident and emergency (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 percentage of women aged 25 to 64 who had a cervical screening recorded in the preceding five years was 82%, the same as the national average.

• Appointments were available outside of school hours and the premises were suitable for children and babies.

The practice could evidence good examples of joint working with midwives, health visitors and school nurses.

Updated 17 March 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.

It was responsive to the needs of older people, and offered home visits and urgent appointments for those with enhanced needs.

Updated 17 March 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.

There was a late night surgery two days per week, until 8.30pm, for those unable to attend in normal hours.

Updated 17 March 2016

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

• 95% of people diagnosed with dementia had had their care reviewed in a face to face meeting in the last 12 months.
• The percentage of patients with a psychosis whose alcohol consumption had been recorded in the preceding 12 months was 95% which is higher than the national average of 90%.
• The practice regularly worked with multi-disciplinary teams in the case management of people experiencing poor mental health, including those with dementia.
• It 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.
• It 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 people with mental health needs and dementia.

Updated 17 March 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.

• It offered longer appointments for people with a learning disability.

• The practice regularly worked with multi-disciplinary teams in the case management of vulnerable people.

• It informed vulnerable patients 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.