Background to this inspection
Updated
2 August 2019
Dr K M Emerson and Partners, also known as Sonning Common Health Centre, is located in purpose built premises in a semi-rural area in Oxfordshire. It holds a general medical services (GMS) contract to provide primary medical services to approximately 10,000 registered patients.
Care and treatment is delivered by four GP partners, 6 salaried GPs, 2 of which are on the GP retention scheme, and 3 GP trainees, 3 practice nurses, 3 health care assistants (HCAs), administration, reception staff, dispensary staff and two practice managers; a total of 43 staff. The practice dispenses prescriptions to approximately a third of its patients.
The practice has a higher proportion of patients over the age of 45 years compared to the local Oxfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and national average and a lower proportion in the 15-39 year age group. The practice serves a population which is significantly more affluent than the national average. The practice is accredited to provide training to GP trainees.
The practice takes an active role within the Oxfordshire CCG.
The practice is registered to provide the regulated activities of Treatment of disease, disorder or injury, Family planning services, Diagnostic and screening procedures, Surgical procedures and Maternity and midwifery services from the one location at: Sonning Common Health Centre, Wood Lane, Sonning Common, Reading, RG4 9SW.
Updated
2 August 2019
Our previous inspection of Dr K M Emerson and partners was carried out in January 2015. At that time the practice was rated Outstanding.
We carried out an announced inspection of Dr K M Emerson and Partners on 24 June 2019.
We decided to undertake an inspection of this service following our annual review of the information available to us. The decision to inspect was required because our previous inspection had been carried out over four years ago.
This inspection looked at the following key questions: Was the practice providing effective and well-led services. We found the practice had consolidated their provision of care and treatment for patients and the rating of Outstanding had been maintained.
We have rated this practice as outstanding overall.
We did not check whether this practice was providing safe services because our monitoring of the practice indicated no significant change since the last inspection. The rating of Good from the last inspection has been carried forward.
We did not check whether this practice was providing caring services because consistently positive patient feedback and monitoring indicated no change since the last inspection. The rating of Good from the last inspection has been carried forward.
We did not check whether this practice was providing responsive services because patient feedback and monitoring indicated no change since the last inspection. The rating of Outstanding from the last inspection has been carried forward. Data held by the practice showed the practice to be in the top 60 practices in England from the results of the 2018 national GP patient survey.
We rated the practice as good for providing effective services because:
- Patients received effective care and treatment that met their needs.
- Provision of effective care and treatment was kept under review and quality improvement activity was evident.
- There was active health promotion and initiatives undertaken to reduce the risk of patients developing health problems.
We rated the practice as Outstanding for provision of well-led services because:
- The culture of the practice and the way it was led and managed drove the delivery and improvement of high-quality, person-centred care.
- All staff at the practice were active in ensuring sustainable high quality care was provided to all patients.
- There was an emphasis on continuing improvement by working with other organisations and patients to address service development.
- There was a clear vision and strategy focused on providing high quality care.
- When service developments were undertaken patients and other stakeholders were informed and their views were sought.
- The practice took an active role in the local community and provided a range of opportunities for local residents to understand health issues and promote healthy lifestyles.
- Learning and development was promoted and provided for all staff.
These outstanding areas, from the current and previous inspection, benefitted all population groups and so we rated all population groups as outstanding.
We saw several areas of outstanding practice including:
- The practice provided a wide range of healthy lifestyle activities such as; a green gym, walking for health and on your bike. Since the last inspection walking football and pilates had also been introduced to encourage older people to maintain good balance, posture and partake in team sport to maintain their health and mobility.
- An increase of approximately 1,000 patients, due to the closure of a neighbouring practice, had been well managed. Resources had been put in place before these patients started to register with the practice and the premises had been restructured to provide additional consulting rooms. The practice had maintained their rating of outstanding during a period of rapid growth in patient numbers and added additional services to those previously offered.
Details of our findings and the evidence supporting the change in rating are set out in the evidence tables.
Dr Rosie Benneyworth BM BS BMedSci MRCGP
Chief Inspector of Primary Medical Services and Integrated Care