Archived: Oswald Road Medical Practice

Updated 14 January 2016

Oswald Road Medical Practice is based in Chorlton, Manchester. The practice provides a range of medical services including asthma, diabetic, and health screening clinics. The practice also offers an alcohol clinic, a drug clinic, a counselling service and a full range of family planning.

The staff team comprises of two female GP partners, one part-time practice nurse, a part-time health care assistant, and a part-time phlebotomist. There is a supporting administrative team which includes a full-time practice manager and a reception manager, a secretary, and four administrative staff. With the exception of the practice manager, all administrative staff work part time.

Patients can book appointments online, in person or by telephone. The practice provides telephone consultations, pre-bookable consultations and home visits to patients who are housebound or too ill to attend the practice.

The practice is part of Central Manchester Clinical Commissioning Group. It is responsible for providing primary care services to approximately 4500 patients. The practice has a General Medical Services contract. Oswald Road Medical Practice is a GP teaching practice.

The practice is open between 8 am and 6.30pm Monday to Friday. The practice is closed at the weekend. Appointments are from 9 am to 11.00am and 3.30pm to 6.00pm every weekday. The surgery is closed at the weekend. Extended hours are not provided at the practice. This service is provided by another local practice who releases a number of appointments at the beginning of the week. The extended hours are provided from 6.00pm to 8.00pm Monday to Friday and from 10.00am to 12.00 on a Saturday and Sunday. Gotodoc provides the out of hour’s service.

The practice does not have its own website. Information about the practice can be viewed via the NH choices website.

Updated 14 January 2016

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Oswald Road Medical Practice on 25 August 2015. Overall the practice is rated as good.

Please note that when referring to information throughout this report, for example, any reference to the Quality and Outcomes Framework data, this relates to the most recent information available to the CQC at that time.

Our key findings across all the areas we inspected were as follows:

• Staff understood and fulfilled their responsibilities to raise concerns, and to report incidents and near misses. Information about safety was recorded, monitored, appropriately reviewed and addressed.
• Risks to patients were assessed and well managed.
• Patients’ needs were assessed, and care was planned and delivered following best practice guidance.

• Prescriptions were not stored or managed securely and out of date emergency medicines were in stock.

• Staff had received training appropriate to their roles and further training was being planned. Staff training records were not up to date.

• Patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect, and they were involved in their care and decisions about their treatments.
• Information about how to make a complaint was in place, although not displayed in the patient waiting area.
• Arrangements were in place to safeguard adults and children from abuse. Staff were trained in safeguarding and understood their responsibilities with regard to reporting concerns.
• The practice offered a variety of pre-bookable appointments, although the practice manager recognised that the system needed updating.

• Overall patients said they found it easy to make an appointment with a named GP with urgent appointments available the same day.
• The practice shared information appropriately with other providers, such as out of hours care providers, to ensure continuity of care for patients.

• Patients with conditions such as diabetes and asthma attended regular clinics to ensure their conditions were appropriately monitored.

• The infection control audit highlighted a number of areas of concern. Action was being taken to address these issues.

• There was a leadership structure in place and staff felt supported by management. The practice had not proactively sought feedback from patients about their views on the service.

There were areas of practice where the provider needs to make improvements.

Importantly, the provider must:

• Improve the system for managing prescriptions and emergency medicines.

In addition the provider should:

• Provide patients with information about who they should contact if they have a concern about the safety of a child or another adult.
• Inform patients about the chaperone service.
• Provide appropriate staff with training in basic life support skills.
• Improve the appointment system so that patients can access appointments easily.
• Ensure the complaint procedure is easily available to the patients.
• Seek feedback from patients about their views of the service.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Updated 14 January 2016

The practice is rated as good for the care of people with long-term conditions Patients with long term conditions were offered regular review appointments with the practice nurse or health care assistant. They were regularly invited to an annual review to check that their health and medication needs were being met. Weekend surgeries were provided during the winter to provide flu vaccination clinics. For those people with the most complex needs, GPs worked with relevant health and care professionals to deliver a multidisciplinary package of care. Longer appointments and home visits were available when needed

Updated 14 January 2016

The practice is rated as good for the care of families, children and young people. Regular reminders were sent out to parents / carers to help increase the up-take of vaccinations. Eight-week baby checks were carried out at the surgery, and follow-up appointments were made for further six-week post-natal and eight-week child surveillance checks and vaccinations. All staff, both clinical and non-clinical, have attended domestic violence training. All children and young people will be seen the same day if an urgent appointment is requested. Children’s attendance at A&E was monitored to identify patterns of behaviour and establish interventions as necessary. The practice was awarded the Gold Star award for services provided to the Lesbian, Bisexual Gay, and Transgender community.

Updated 14 January 2016

The practice is rated as good for the care of older people. Staff noticed when older patients visited the practice more often for support. Staff offered them an appointment with a GP as quickly as possible. Housebound patients could order medicines by phone. Care plans for all patients were regularly updated with next of kin details. Late morning appointments are available for older patients. Flu vaccinations were given at home when necessary. Health care reviews were also held at home for patients who were unable to get into the surgery.

Updated 14 January 2016

The practice is rated as good for the care of working-age people (including those recently retired and students). Telephone triage clinics took place each morning, which had improved access to telephone consultations with GPs. Extended hours were not available at Oswald Road practice; this service was provided by another provider. Extended hours were provided from 6 pm to 8 pm Monday to Friday and Saturday and Sunday mornings. An early clinic with the health care assistant was available two mornings a week for patients who needed blood tests and other routine health checks.

Updated 14 January 2016

The practice is rated as good for the care of people experiencing poor mental health (including people with dementia). All patients receiving anti-depressant medicines or anti-psychotic medicines had to speak to or see a GP face to face before a repeat prescription was given. This regular contact allowed GPs to assess patients’ mental health regularly and respond earlier to any deterioration. The practice regularly worked with multi-disciplinary teams in the case management of people experiencing poor mental health, including those with dementia. Patients experiencing poor mental health had been informed about how to access various support groups and voluntary organisations. There was a system in place to follow up patients who had attended A&E.

Updated 14 January 2016

The practice is rated as good for the care of people whose circumstances may make them vulnerable. The practice worked closely with local case managers and district nurses. A monthly disciplinary team meeting took place to discuss patients whose care needs were of concern. A flexible appointment system was in place for patients who were deemed vulnerable and called into the practice. Vulnerable patients were informed about how to access various support groups and voluntary organisations. Staff were aware of their responsibilities regarding information sharing, documentation of safeguarding concerns and how to contact relevant agencies in normal working hours.