The Care Quality Commission
  • Doctor
  • Out of hours GP service

Archived: Crutes House

Fudan Way, Thornaby, Stockton On Tees, Cleveland, TS17 6EN (01642) 733620

Provided and run by:
Teesside Urgent Care Community Interest Company

All Inspections

18 July 2013

During a routine inspection

Crutes House offered a base for several healthcare providers, and we looked at the out of hours GP service run by TUC (known as Northern Doctors). The service used satellite clinical centres across the Tees Valley, such as Resolution health centre. Access to Northern Doctors is via the 111 service. The 111 service screen calls and pass these through to the service if they determine there is a need to speak to or see a GP.

We found that the provider's administration staff (dispatchers) at Crutes House effectively organised the GP schedule; coordinated home visits and travel arrangements. They also efficiently made arrangements with the satellite centres to ensure those patients who were physically well enough and needed to be seen came to a see a GP at a local centre. The dispatchers organised when these centres would be open . We found the opening hours and the length of times centres remained open were based on need so varied from day-to-day.

We observed the service; listened to GPs triage; spoke with one patient; and spoke with all of the clinical staff as well as the administration staff. We found that the GPs had a tri part role so either triaged patients over the telephone, saw them at a clinic or at home. We found that staff had consistently met their expected target of a 90 minute response time for urgent cases and four4 hours for non-urgent. We noted that this system allowed for people who had the greatest needs to be seen more quickly.