Archived: Dr Arun Jha

Updated 28 January 2016

Colne family Practice is located in the health centre in Colne. They have 2774 registered patients. They have a higher than national average population of patients aged over 60 years.

The practice provides General Medical Services (GMS) under contract with NHS England. The practice is also contracted to provide a number of enhanced services, which aim to provide patients with greater access to care and treatment on site. They offer enhanced services in: remote care monitoring, childhood vaccinations and extended hours access.

There are three GPs, two male, one female, three female practice nurses and a practice pharmacist. These are supported by a practice manager and an experienced team of reception/administration staff.

The practice is open between 9:30am and 6:00 pm Monday to Friday, with extended opening on Tuesday and Thursday until 7:30pm. When the practice is closed, out-of-hours services are provided by East Lancashire Medical Services.

Updated 28 January 2016

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection of Dr Arun Jha at Colne Family Practice on the 1 December 2015. Overall the practice is rated as good.

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. Staff had received training appropriate to their roles and any further training needs had been identified and planned.
• Patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect.

• Patients said they found it easy to make an appointment with a named GP and that 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.
• There was clear leadership roles and staff felt supported by management. The practice proactively sought feedback from staff and patients, which it acted on.

We saw one area of outstanding practice including:

• The practice held a weekly diabetic clinic with a specialist diabetic nurse and practice GP with a specialism in diabetes. They had also facilitated a patient steering group and ran evening education sessions on diabetes led by a practice GP.

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

Importantly the provider should

• Ensure infection control training is in place for key staff and that audits show the action taken to be sure all areas are addressed.
• Ensure adequate information is provided to patients regarding the complaints procedure and ensure the practice notice board; web site and patient leaflets are informative and kept up to date.

Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Updated 28 January 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.
• Longer appointments and home visits were available when needed.
• All these patients had a named GP and a structured annual review to check that their health and medicines needs were being met. For those people with the most complex needs, the named GP worked with relevant health and care professionals to deliver a multidisciplinary package of care.
• The practice held a weekly diabetic clinic with a specialist diabetic nurse and GP and links to podiatry, retinal screening and a dietician to support diabetic patients at the practice.

Updated 28 January 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.
• 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.
• A baby clinic ran weekly with the health visitor, nurse and GP who specialised in paediatric care.
• Appointments were available outside of school hours and the premises were suitable for children and babies.
• We saw good examples of joint working with midwives and health visitors.

Updated 28 January 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 its population.
• It was responsive to the needs of older people, and offered home visits and urgent appointments and priority telephone access to their named GP for those with enhanced needs.

Updated 28 January 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 it offered to ensure these were accessible, flexible and offered continuity of care.
• The practice was proactive in offering telephone consultations and online services as well as a full range of health promotion and screening that reflects the needs for this age group.

Updated 28 January 2016

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

• 90% of people diagnosed with dementia had had their care reviewed in a face to face meeting in the last 12 months.
• The practice regularly worked with multi-disciplinary teams in the case management of people experiencing poor mental health, including those with dementia.
• It 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.
• It 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 people with mental health needs and dementia.

Updated 28 January 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 those with a learning disability.
• It offered longer appointments for people with a learning disability.
• The practice regularly worked with multi-disciplinary teams in the case management of vulnerable people.
• It had told 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.