Updated 30 September 2016
We inspected the practice in April 2016 and found improvements were needed in the area of safe patient care and good governance. The provider sent us an action plan which detailed the steps they would take to meet the breaches in regulation. During our latest inspection on 7 September 2016 we found the provider had made the required improvements.
The practice is situated in the coastal town of Brixham, Devon. The area is ranked fifth in the level of deprivation decile, with one being least deprived and ten being the most deprived. 96.7% of the local population identified their ethnicity as being white English in the 2011 census.
The practice provides a primary medical service to 10,100 patients of a predominantly older age group. The practice is a training practice for GP registrars (doctors who are training to become GPs). There was one registrar working at the practice.
There is a team of one GPs partners and five salaried GPs. The whole time equivalent is 5.6 GPs. Partners hold managerial and financial responsibility for running the business. The team are supported by a practice manager, two nurse practitioners, five practice nurses, two health care assistants, three phlebotomists and additional administration staff.
Patients using the practice also have access to midwife clinics and depression and anxiety counsellors at the practice. Other health care professionals such as community nurses, mental health teams and health visitors attended the practice on a regular basis.
The practice is open between the NHS contracted opening hours of 8am - 6.30pm Monday to Friday. Appointments are offered anytime within these hours. Extended hour’s surgeries are offered at the following times; Monday, Tuesday, Thursday mornings from 7.30am and on Tuesday evening until 7.30pm.
Outside of these times patients are directed to contact the Devon doctors out of hour’s service by using the NHS 111 number.
The practice offers a range of appointment types including book on the day, telephone consultations and advance appointments. The practice has a Personal Medical Services (PMS) contract with NHS England.
St Lukes Medical Centre is comprised of two locations both of which carry out regulated activities. The main site is located at 17 New Road, Brixham TQ5 8NA and the branch site is located at 1 Greenswood Road, Brixham TQ5 9HN.
During our inspection we visited the New Road location on 7 September 2016. We did not visit the Greenswood Road location as evidence was seen at the St Lukes branch. The
Greenswood branch inspection is covered in a separate report.