Batley Health Centre Surgery

Updated 24 November 2016

Batley Health Centre Surgery was founded in 1946. Since 2006 the practice has been located at a large purpose built health centre at 130 Upper Commercial Street, Batley, West Yorkshire, WF17 5ED close to local shops and the bus station.

The practice has a branch surgery, York House, 284a Oxford Road, Gomersal WF17 5DH which is co-owned and shared with another GP practice. The branch surgery serves approximately 11% of the total practice population. Both locations have parking and all services are provided at ground floor level. Patients can be seen at either location.

• The practice provides primary medical services to 4,527 patients in Batley and Gomersal under a general medical services (GMS) contract. In addition, the practice also provides enhanced services including minor surgery, extended hours access, influenza and pneumococcal immunisations and avoiding unplanned hospital admissions. Enhanced Services are services which require an enhanced level of service provision above what is required under core GMS contracts.
• There are two GP partners, one male and one female; one female nurse prescriber and one female practice nurse, one female healthcare assistant and a female phlebotomist. The clinical team is supported by a practice manager and a team of administrative staff.
• The practice is open between 8am and 8pm on Mondays and 8am and 6pm Tuesday to Friday. Appointments are from 8.30am to 11.30 every morning and 1pm to 6pm daily. Extended hours appointments are offered until 7.30pm Mondays at the main surgery. The branch surgery is open from 3.30pm to 6pm Mondays, 1pm to 3.30pm Wednesdays and 3.30pm to 6pm Fridays.
• The extended hours service operates on a Monday evening from 6:30pm until 8pm at the main surgery for those patients who find it difficult to access services during the day.
• When the practice is closed calls are transferred to the NHS 111 service who will triage the call and pass the details to Local Care Direct who is the out of hours provider for North Kirklees.

The area is on the third decile on the scale of deprivation. At 11%, unemployment is twice the national average of 5% and income deprivation affects 27% of older people (national average 16%). Seven per cent of patients are from black minority ethnic populations.

Updated 24 November 2016

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Batley Health Centre Surgery on 30 August 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.
• The partners and practice manager liaised with the neighbouring GP practice with whom they shared the branch practice. We saw evidence of discussions related to planning and sharing the cost of improvements to the premises.
• 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 partners and practice manager had strong involvement with the CCG and other GP practices through membership of Curo (which is a federation of GP practices in North Kirklees), the local GP cluster group, practice management forums and attendance at peer review and CCG organised events.
• The practice had invested in the employment and training of new staff and additional training of existing staff members as part of succession planning as some staff members were approaching retirement age.

The areas where the provider should make improvement are:

• Review and improve significant event reporting to include events that are dealt with successfully and minor administrative errors.
• Improve the labelling of clinical waste bags in line with current legislation and guidance.​

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Updated 24 November 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.
• Performance for diabetes related indicators was better than the national average. For example, data showed that 95% of patients with diabetes, on the register, had a record of a foot examination and risk classification (CCG average 89%, national average 88%).
• 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.
• Patients at risk of hospital admission but not under the care of the community matron were referred to the CCG care co-ordinators. The practice worked with and referred patients to a care co-ordinator who helped patients to manage their health and liaised with NHS and social care services to ensure patients were supported.
• Staff used electronic consultations where available with hospital consultants to discuss cases and carry out shared care planning.

Updated 24 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 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 practice’s uptake for the cervical screening programme was 81%, which was comparable to the CCG and national average of 82%.
• Appointments were available outside of school hours and the premises were suitable for children and babies.
• There was a policy to always offer same day appointments to children under five and children with long term conditions. The practice offered a ring back service for worried parents or guardians.
• We saw minutes of meetings which demonstrated joint working with midwives, health visitors and school nurses.
• The practice offered a range of contraception and sexual health advice.

Updated 24 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 practice also encouraged its patients to attend national screening programmes for bowel and breast cancer screening. Uptake rates were in line with local and national averages. For example, 71% of females aged 50 to 70 were screened for breast cancer in the preceding 36 months (CCG average 70%, national average 72%).
• The practice maintained a hospital admissions avoidance register. Staff worked with other health professionals to plan and deliver co-ordinated care for these patients.
• The practice took part in the CCG initiated polypharmacy scheme. Older patients taking ten or more medications were offered a structured review of their health and medications.

Updated 24 November 2016

The practice is rated as good for the care of working-age people (including those recently retired and students).

• The practice offered extended hours clinics on Monday evenings.
• Patients who worked long hours or worked away were provided with an alternative way to contact the practice to order repeat medications or request consultations.
• Clinical triage was carried out to improve access to urgent appointments and requests. Reception staff knew to add patient requests to the triage board which was monitored by the GPs daily. Patients were offered an urgent appointment or a telephone consultation and patients could request to be called back.
• 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.

Updated 24 November 2016

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

• 88% of patients diagnosed with dementia had their care reviewed in a face to face meeting in the last 12 months, which was better than the national average/ worse than the national average of 84%.
• Performance for mental health related indicators was better than the national average. Data showed that 94% of patients with schizophrenia, bipolar affective disorder and other psychoses who had a comprehensive care plan documented in the record, in the preceding 12 months (CCG average 89%, national average 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 received dementia friends training and had a good understanding of how to support patients with mental health needs and dementia.

Updated 24 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 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 care planning and case management of vulnerable patients. For example, patients under the care of alcohol and substance misuse services.
• The practice informed vulnerable patients about how to access various support groups and voluntary organisations.
• Staff had received training and 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.