Archived: Dr Sankarakumaran Sathanandan

Updated 20 August 2015

Dr Sankarakumaran Sathanandan practice has a patient population of 3441. The practice is managed by a single GP who holds financial and managerial responsibility for the practice. The practice has a lead GP and two locum GPs, a female and male locum who work two days each week on a Monday and Friday and a Tuesday and Thursday. They also employ a part time practice nurse. There are six receptionists and a practice manager who retains her professional registration as a nurse and provides limited clinical interventions.

The practice holds a General Medical Services contract with NHS England who commissions the services.

The practice phone lines are open from 8am to 6.30pm Monday to Friday. Appointments with GPs are available between 9am to 11.30am Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday and 9am and 11am on Wednesdays. On Monday, Tuesday and Friday afternoon appointments operate from 3.30pm to 6pm and on Wednesday 4pm to 6pm and Thursday 4pm to 6.30pm. Nurse appointments are available three days a week, Monday 8.30am to 1pm and 2pm to 3pm, Wednesday 7.30am to 2pm and on Thursday 11am to 1pm and 2pm to 7pm. Late night GP appointments are offered on a Wednesday 6.30pm to 7.15pm and late night nurse appointments are available on a Thursday 6.30pm to 7pm. Patients may request telephone advice and speak to a GP or nurse designated times were stated on the practice website. Patients could phone to speak with a GP between 11.30am and 12.30. However, the times to speak with a nurse varied on the day with different times.

The practice maintains a comprehensive website that may be translated into 63 different languages. It provides a range of information relating to their services including details of the appointment system, staff, clinics provided, practice news and the practice contact details. It also details the practice mission statement to provide quality, caring, patient-centred healthcare and ensuring that each patient leaves their surgery feeling their concerns had been heard and questions answered and patients’ rights to expect a high level of care.

The practice serves an ageing population with greater representation in patients over 65years. They also have a high number of patients with long standing health conditions.

The practice has opted out of providing out-of-hours services to their own patients. Patients are advised to call 111 when they require medical assistance that is not an emergency. NHS 111 is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Patients are advised that casualties can be seen at all times at the Accident and Emergency Department at Southend General Hospital.

Updated 20 August 2015

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Dr Sankarakumaran Sathanandan on 08 July 2015. Overall the practice is rated as good.

Specifically, we found the practice to be good for providing safe, well-led, effective, caring and responsive services. It was also good for providing services for older people, people with long-term conditions, families, children and young people, working age people (including those recently retired and students), people living in vulnerable circumstances, and people experiencing poor mental health (including people with dementia).

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 with all staff undertaking recruitment checks.
• 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 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.
• Patients said they found it easy to make an appointment with their 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 a clear leadership structure and staff felt supported by management. The practice proactively sought feedback from staff and patients, which it acted on.

However, there were areas of practice where the provider needs to make improvements. Importantly, the provider should;

• Where action plans have been put in place following the analysis of a significant event, undertake a review to ensure that the learning has been effective and maintained.
• Ensure staff undertaking chaperone duties are appropriately trained and have undertaken a disclosure and barring service checks.
• Ensure the practice daily cleaning records accurately reflect cleaning which has occurred.
• Ensure the risk of legionella is appropriately managed
• Ensure information is available to patients on the complaints procedure and that investigations and actions taken in response are fully documented.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Updated 20 August 2015

The practice is rated as good for the care of people with long-term conditions. The clinical team worked closely in the management of specific conditions such as 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 patients had a named GP and a structured annual review to check that their health and medication needs were being met. For those people with the most complex needs, the lead GP worked with relevant health and care professionals to deliver a multidisciplinary package of care.

Updated 20 August 2015

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. The practice offered a range of specialist clinics, child health clinics, antenatal and postnatal clinics. Immunisation rates were 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 20 August 2015

The practice is rated as good for the care of older people. Nationally reported data showed that outcomes for patients were good for conditions commonly found in older people. The practice offered personalised care to meet the needs of the older people in its population. They provided phlebotomy services (obtaining blood) and patients who were identified as vulnerable received monthly reviews. It was responsive to the needs of older people, and conducted home visits to identify emerging patient needs and provided rapid access appointments for those with enhanced needs.

Updated 20 August 2015

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 offered well man and women clinics and was proactive in offering online services and evening telephone consultations. They also offered a full range of health promotion and screening that reflects the needs for this age group.

Updated 20 August 2015

The practice is rated as good for the care of people experiencing poor mental health. The GP personally contacted all patients inviting them to attend their reviews and found this significantly improved attendance rates and enabled them to provide a better and more individualised service to meet their patients’ needs. People experiencing poor mental health had received an annual physical health checks. 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 organisation. The practice also worked closely with specialist mental health providers to manage emerging risks to patient safety and followed up with patients and their consultants to ensure they were appropriately supported.

Updated 20 August 2015

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. The GP personally contacted all patients inviting them to attend their reviews. The practice found this significantly improved attendance rates and enabled them to provide a better and more individualised service to meet their patient’s needs. 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.