Archived: Dr Harjit Singh Also known as Eccles Gateway Medical Centre

Updated 7 July 2016

Eccles Gateway is located in Eccles town centre, Salford. The address of the practice is Eccles Gateway Medical Practice, 28 Barton Lane, Eccles, Salford, M30 0TU. The practice is located within the Eccles Gateway Centre and shares the premises with another GP practice. Eccles Gateway Centre also offers other services such as a library, an audiology clinic, a sexual health clinic and a smoking cessation service.

The practice has limited parking facilities (three disabled parking bays) and has good public transport links with a bus stop and metro link nearby.

The practice employs three GP partners (one male and two females), as well as two practice nurses (both female) and an assistant practitioner (female), a practice manager and reception staff.

The practice is open between 8am and 6.30pm Monday to Friday. Morning appointments were from 9.20am – 11.30am Monday to Friday. Afternoon appointments were from 4pm - 5.30pm every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. Extended hours appointments were from 6.30 to 8.30pm on a Monday. Outside of opening hours, patients would be directed to the 111 out of hours service.

The practice had 2765 patients registered at the time of the inspection and operates under a personal medical services contract. The practice has a higher than average amount of infant patients and also a higher than average amount of working aged people, when compared to the CCG average.

Updated 7 July 2016

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Eccles Gateway Medical Practice on 02 June 2016. Overall the practice is rated as good.

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

• There was an open and transparent approach to safety and an effective system in place for reporting and recording significant events.
• Risks to patients were assessed and well managed.
• Staff assessed patients’ needs and delivered care in line with current evidence based guidance. Staff had been trained to provide them with the skills, knowledge and experience to deliver effective care and treatment.
• Patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and they were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment.
• Information about services and how to complain was available and easy to understand. Improvements were made to the quality of care as a result of complaints and concerns.
• Patients said they found it easy to make an appointment with a named GP and 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 a clear leadership structure and staff felt supported by management. The practice proactively sought feedback from staff and patients, which it acted on.
• The provider was aware of and complied with the requirements of the duty of candour.

The areas where the provider should make improvement are:

• Introduce regular clinical meetings and practice meetings.

• Review the need to keep prescription pads and ensure there is a log kept for prescriptions.

• Ensure smart cards are removed and computers locked when they are left unattended

• Consider the need for a list of staff members that can chaperone to prevent anyone from chaperoning that does not have an up to date DBS check.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Updated 7 July 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 their health and medicines needs were being met. For those patients with the most complex needs, the named GP worked with relevant health and care professionals to deliver a multidisciplinary package of care.

Updated 7 July 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. Immunisation rates were relatively high for all standard childhood immunisations.
• 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.
• Appointments were available outside of school hours and the premises were suitable for children and babies.

Updated 7 July 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.
• The practice was responsive to the needs of older people, and offered home visits and urgent appointments for those with enhanced needs.

Updated 7 July 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 online services as well as a full range of health promotion and screening that reflects the needs for this age group.

Updated 7 July 2016

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

• 67% of patients diagnosed with dementia who had their care reviewed in a face to face meeting in the last 12 months, which is above the national average of 84%.
• The practice regularly worked with multi-disciplinary teams in the case management of patients experiencing poor mental health, including those with dementia.
• The practice 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.
• The practice 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 patients with mental health needs and dementia.

Updated 7 July 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 homeless people, travellers and those with a learning disability.
• The practice offered longer appointments for patients with a learning disability.
• The practice regularly worked with other health care professionals in the case management of vulnerable patients.
• The practice informed 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.