Archived: Cavendish Medical Practice

Updated 19 November 2015

Cavendish Medical Practice is located in Edgbaston, Birmingham and serves approximately 4200 patients. Care is provided for people who live in the Edgbaston, Winson Green, Smethwick and Cape Hill communities. The practice holds a General Medical Services contract and provides GP services commissioned by NHS England.

The practice is managed by three GP partners (two male, one female) who between them provide 23 clinical sessions per week. They are supported by a full time practice nurse who leads on reviews of patients who have long term conditions such as, diabetes and cervical screening and who also provides contraceptive advice. One receptionist is a trained health care assistant (HCA) and spends part of her time carrying out duties such as, phlebotomy (obtaining blood samples), health checks of newly registered patients and some injections. The practice employs a practice manager, an assistant practice manager who works four hours per week, an administrator and three receptionists.

The practice is open from 8.30am to 6.30pm Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays. It is closed from 1pm each Thursday and during 12pm and 3pm on Fridays. Urgent appointments are available on the day. Routine appointments can be pre-booked in advance in person, by telephone or online. Telephone consultations and home visits are available daily as required.

The practice has opted out of providing GP services to patients out of hours such as nights and weekends. During these times GP services are provided currently by a service commissioned by Sandwell and West Birmingham Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG). When the practice is closed, there is a recorded message giving out of hours’ details.

Updated 19 November 2015

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

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.

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection of Cavendish Medical Practice on 15 September 2015. The practice provides primary medical services to approximately 4,200 people who live in the Edgbaston, Winson Green, Smethwick and Cape Hill communities. Overall the practice is rated as good.

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

• Staff understood and fulfilled their responsibilities to raise concerns and report incidents and near misses. Opportunities for learning from internal and external incidents were shared with staff and acted on.
• Practice staff utilised methods to improve patient outcomes, working with other local providers to share best practice. For example, reviewing patients who were at risk of unplanned hospital admission.
• Patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and they were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment. Information was provided to help patients understand the care available to them.
• Practice staff worked closely with other organisations and external professionals in planning how services were provided to ensure that they meet people’s needs.
• As a consequence of feedback from patients and the Patient Participation group (PPG) practice staff had made improvements to the way it delivered services.
• The practice had a clear vision which had quality and safety as its priority. Plans for the future were in place to improve patient access to the premises. There was a clear leadership structure and staff felt supported by management.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Updated 19 November 2015

The practice is rated good for the care of people with long-term conditions. These patients had regular health reviews with a GP and/or the nurse to check that their health care needs were being met and their prescribed medication appropriate. Longer appointments were available to ensure patients received comprehensive reviews. Patients were encouraged to manage their conditions and if necessary were referred to the weekly health education in-house service, which was provided in both Hindi and English languages.

Updated 19 November 2015

The practice is rated 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. A health visitor was invited to the regular multidisciplinary meetings to discuss any safeguarding issues as well as those children who had long term conditions. There were no extended opening hours but patients could hold a telephone conversation with a GP to receive advice. Children were given same day appointments.

Updated 19 November 2015

The practice is rated good for the care of older people. The practice offered proactive, personalised care to meet the needs of the older people in its population and offered home visits. Rapid access appointments were provided for those with enhanced or complex needs. The practice had regular contact with district nurses and participated in regular meetings with other healthcare professionals to discuss any concerns or changes that were needed to patient care.

Updated 19 November 2015

The practice is rated good for the care of working-age people (including those recently retired and students). The needs of this population group had been identified and the practice had adjusted the services it offered to ensure these were accessible. For example, from requests made by patients GPs offered lunchtime appointments from 1pm until 1.30pm Monday to Wednesday each week. The practice offered online services as well as a full range of health promotion and screening that reflected the needs for this age group.

Updated 19 November 2015

The practice is rated good for the care of people experiencing poor mental health (including people with dementia). All patients experiencing poor mental health had received a follow up within two weeks of diagnosis and annual physical health checks. The practice regularly worked with multidisciplinary teams in the case management of people experiencing poor mental health, including those with dementia. Clinical staff carried out care planning for patients with dementia and those experiencing mental health illness. Referral mechanisms were in place for when staff identified deterioration in a patient’s mental health.

Updated 19 November 2015

The practice is rated good for the care of people whose circumstances may make them vulnerable. The practice held a register of patients living in vulnerable circumstances including those with a learning disability. It had carried out annual health checks and longer appointments were available for all people with a learning disability. Staff had been trained 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.