Chopwell Primary Healthcare Centre

Updated 16 May 2016

Chopwell Primary Healthcare Centre is registered with the Care Quality Commission to provide primary care services.

The practice provides services to approximately 2,650 patients from one location at South Road, Chopwell, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE17 7BU. This is the location we visited on the day of our inspection.

The practice is based in a purpose-built building which is owned and managed by the partners at the practice. Consultation rooms are all on one floor and can be accessed without stairs. The practice building has level access, automatic doors and car parking available for patients to use.

The practice has nine members of staff, comprising two GP partners (one female, one male), one practice nurse (female), one healthcare assistant (female), a practice manager, a business manager, and three administrative/reception staff. The practice also employs two long-term locum GPs and an apprentice.

The surgery is open as follows:

• Monday: 9am to 1pm and 2pm to 7.30pm
• Tuesday: 9am to 1pm and 2pm to 6pm
• Wednesday: 9am to 1pm and 2pm to 6pm
• Thursday: 9am to 1pm
• Friday: 9am to 1pm and 2pm to 6pm

The telephone lines operate at all times during these opening hours. Outside of these times, a message on the surgery phone line directs patients to out of hours care, NHS 111 or 999 emergency services as appropriate. On Thursday afternoons when the practice is closed the phone redirects to the mobile phone of one of the GP partners. Appointments with a GP can be booked as follows:

• Monday: 9am to 12pm, 3pm to 5.30pm and 6.30pm to 7pm
• Tuesday: 9am to 12pm, 3pm to 5.30pm
• Wednesday: 9am to 12pm, 3pm to 5.30pm
• Thursday: 9am to 12pm
• Friday: 9am to 12pm, 3pm to 5.30pm
• Weekends: closed

The practice provides services to patients of all ages based on a General Medical Services (GMS) contract agreement for general practice. The practice is part of Newcastle Gateshead clinical commissioning group (CCG). Information taken from Public Health England placed the area in which the practice was located in the third most deprived decile. In general, people living in more deprived areas tend to have greater need for health services.The practice population broadly reflects national averages, with a slightly lower-than-average number of patients under 15 years old, and a slightly higher than average number of patients between the ages of 50 and 69. The service for patients requiring urgent medical attention out of hours is provided by the NHS 111 service and Primecare.

Updated 16 May 2016

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Chopwell Primary Healthcare Centre on 16 March 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 practice had signed up to the Dispensing Services Quality Scheme, which rewards practices for providing high quality services to patients of their dispensary, and there was a named GP who provided leadership to the dispensary team.
• 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 areas where the provider should make improvement are:

• Implement procedures to record and monitor near misses and dispensing errors to improve the safety of the service.
• Put in place a procedure to ensure repeat prescriptions are within their review date.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Updated 16 May 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, 95.6% of patients on the diabetes register had a record of a foot examination and risk classification within the preceding 12 months (April 2014 to March 2015) compared to the national average of 88.3%.
• 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 16 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.
• 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, health visitors and school nurses.

Updated 16 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 their population.
• The practice was responsive to the needs of older people, and offered home visits and urgent appointments for those with enhanced needs. 

Updated 16 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 they 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.
• The practice’s uptake for the cervical screening programme was 85.8%, which comparable to the national average of 81.8%.

Updated 16 May 2016

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

• 91% of patients diagnosed with dementia had their care reviewed in a face-to-face review between April 2014 and March 2015, compared to the national average of 84%.
• 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 a good understanding of how to support patients with mental health needs and dementia.

Updated 16 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.