Archived: Dr Martin Weatherhead Also known as Dr Weatherhead & Associates

Updated 16 March 2016

Dr Martin Weatherhead is registered with the Care Quality Commission to provide primary care services. The practice is located in the Southwick area of Sunderland.

The practice provides services to around 3,700 patients from one location:

• Southwick Health Centre, The Green, Southwick, Sunderland, SR5 2LT.

We visited this address as part of the inspection.

Dr Martin Weatherhead is based in purpose built premises that are shared with external services and two other GP practices. All reception and consultation rooms are fully accessible and on one level. There is on-site parking and disabled parking. A disabled WC is available.

The practice has one principle GP, four salaried GPs and one career start GP (This is where GPs are employed and provided with mentoring and clinical development.). Four male and two female GP’s were available at the practice. The practice employs a practice manager, a deputy manager, a practice nurse, a pharmacist, a healthcare assistant, a career start nursing assistant and five staff who undertake administrative or reception roles. The practice provides services based on a General Medical Services (GMS) contract agreement for general practice.

Dr Martin Weatherhead is open at the following times:

• Monday to Friday 8am and 6pm.

The telephones are answered by the practice during these times.

Appointments are available at Dr Martin Weatherhead at the following times:

• Monday to Friday 8:30am to 11:30am and 1pm to 5:30pm
• Extended hours appointments are available with the principle GP each Wednesday from 6pm to 8pm.

The practice participates in the locality extended hours scheme which is based at the surgery. This enables patients to access a local GP between 6:15pm and 8pm Monday to Thursday.

The practice is part of NHS Sunderland clinical commission group (CCG). Information from Public Health England placed the area in which the practice is located in the most deprived decile. In general, people living in more deprived areas tend to have greater need for health services. Average male life expectancy at the practice is 75 years compared to the national average of 79 years. Average female life expectancy at the practice is 80 years compared to the national average of 83 years.

The proportion of patients with a long-standing health condition is above average (64% compared to the national average of 54%). The proportion of patients who are in paid work or full-time employment is below average (48% compared to the national average of 60%). The proportion of patients who are unemployed is above average (13% compared to the national average of 6%).

The NHS 111 service and Northern Doctors Urgent Care Limited provide the service for patients requiring urgent medical care out of hours. Information about these services is available on the practice’s telephone message, website and the practice leaflet.

Updated 16 March 2016

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Dr Martin Weatherhead on 14 January 2016. 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 report incidents and near misses. Lessons were learned when incidents and near misses occurred.
• Risks to patients were assessed and well managed.
• Staff assessed patients’ needs and delivered care in line with current evidence based guidance. Staff had the skills, knowledge and experience to deliver effective care and treatment.
• There was a strong, visible, person centred culture. Relationships between staff and patients were strong, caring and supportive. 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 were able to access appointments at times that were convenient.
• 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.

We saw one area of outstanding practice:

• There was a proactive approach to understanding the needs of different groups of people and to delivering care in a way that promoted equality. This included people who are in vulnerable circumstances or who have complex needs. For example, the practice had proactively responded to the high numbers of patients presenting with drug and alcohol problems by providing them with access to in-house support services. The principle GP was the lead for these services which included the provision of emergency detox and urgent and specialist interventions such as prescriptions of medicines to prevent relapses. These services were also available to patients registered at other local practices.

There is one area where the provider should make improvements:

• Review their arrangements for monitoring the storage of medicines that require refrigeration to take into account national guidance.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Updated 16 March 2016

The practice is rated as good for the care of people with long-term conditions.

• Patients at risk of hospital admission were identified as a priority for care and support by the practice, comprehensive care plans were in place and regularly reviewed.
• Housebound patients could have their care reviewed at home.
• The practice pharmacist provided medicine reviews for patients.
• The practice provided an insulin initiation service for patients newly diagnosed with type two diabetes. The lead nurse and the principle GP had obtained diplomas in diabetes management.
• Nationally reported data showed the practice had achieved good outcomes in relation to most of the conditions commonly associated with this population group. For example, the practice had achieved 94% of the QOF points available for providing the recommended care and treatment for patients with diabetes. This was the same as the local CCG average of 94% but above the national average of 89%.
• Longer appointments and home visits were available when needed.
• All patients with a long-term condition had a named GP and were offered 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.
• The practice funded its own in house phlebotomy (blood testing) service.
• A practice based anticoagulation clinic was available.

Updated 16 March 2016

The practice is rated as good for the care of families, children and young people.

• There were processes in place for the regular assessment of children’s development. This included the early identification of problems and the timely follow up of these. Systems were in place for identifying and following-up children who were considered to be at-risk of harm or neglect. For example, the needs of all at-risk children were regularly reviewed at practice multidisciplinary meetings involving child care professionals such as health visitors.
• Appointments were available outside of school hours and the premises were suitable for children and babies.
• Arrangements had been made for new babies to receive the immunisations they needed. Childhood immunisation rates for the vaccinations given to under two year olds ranged from 98% to 100% (CCG average 96% to 100%) and for five year olds ranged from 96% to 100% (CCG average 32% to 99%).
• Urgent appointments for children were available on the same day.
• 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.
• Pregnant women were able to access an antenatal clinic provided by healthcare staff attached to the practice.
• Nationally reported data showed that outcomes for patients with asthma were good. The practice had achieved 100% of the QOF points available for providing the recommended care and treatment for patients with asthma. This was above the local CCG and national averages of 97%.
• The practice’s uptake for cervical screening was 76%, which was below the local CCG and national average of 82%.

Updated 16 March 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.
• All patients over the age of 75 had a named GP. Care homes were visited regularly by linked GP’s.
• The practice was responsive to the needs of older people; they offered home visits and urgent appointments for those with enhanced needs.
• Nationally reported data showed that outcomes for patients with conditions commonly found in older people were good. For example, the practice had achieved 100% of the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) points available for providing the recommended care and treatment for patients with heart failure. This was comparable to the local clinical commissioning group (CCG) average of 99% and the national average of 98%.
• The percentage of people aged 65 or over who received a seasonal influenza vaccination was 79%, which was above the national average of 73%.
• The practice maintained a palliative care register and offered immunisations for pneumonia and shingles to older people.

Updated 16 March 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.
• Patients could order repeat prescriptions and book appointments on-line.
• Text message appointment reminders were available.
• Telephone appointments were available; the patient could request a time and a named doctor. Patients told us that they appreciated this service.
• The practice offered a full range of health promotion and screening which reflected the needs for this age group.
• Additional services such as health checks for over 40’s, travel vaccinations and minor surgery were provided.
• The practice website provided a wide range of health promotion advice and information.

Updated 16 March 2016

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

• The practice held a register for patients experiencing poor mental health and had identified 1% of their patient population as requiring inclusion. One of the salaried GP’s was the lead for mental health at the practice.
• Patients with poor mental health could attend early morning appointments with the GP when the practice was quieter.
• Nationally reported data showed that outcomes for patients with mental health conditions were lower than average. The practice had achieved 89% of the QOF points available for providing the recommended care and treatment for patients with mental health conditions. This was below the local CCG average of 92% and the national average of 93%.
• Nationally reported data showed that outcomes for patients with dementia were good. The practice had achieved 100% of the QOF points available for providing the recommended care and treatment for patients with dementia. This was above the local CCG average of 96% and the national average of 95%. However, only 79% of patients diagnosed with dementia had their care reviewed in a face to face meeting in the last 12 months, which is below the national average of 84%.
• The practice regularly worked with multi-disciplinary teams in the case management of people 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 16 March 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.
• The practice offered longer appointments for patients with a learning disability if required. Health checks for people with learning disabilities could be carried out in the patients’ own the home.
• A visit from a local support agency for people with learning disabilities found good practice. However, they thought more easy to read information should be provided.
• Vulnerable patients could attend early morning appointments with the GP when the practice was quieter and less stressful for them.
• The practice provided in house drug and alcohol treatment services including the provision of emergency detox arrangements and coordinated care with local mental health services.
• The practice regularly worked with multi-disciplinary teams (MDT) in the case management of vulnerable people.

• The practice informed vulnerable patients about how to access various support groups and voluntary organisations. Patients were also able to meet with local care professionals at the practice when this would be more comfortable for the patient, for example when meeting with the mental health crisis team.

• 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.
• Good arrangements were in place to support patients who were carers. Information for carers was available on a separate notice board in the waiting area.