Archived: St Andrews Medical Practice 4 Also known as Drs Behardien & Walker

Updated 19 November 2015

St Andrews Medical Centre 4 (also known as Drs Behardien & Walker) is located in purpose built premises close to the centre of Eccles. It is fully accessible to the disabled and those with mobility difficulties. There is a car park at the rear and street parking close by.

There are three GP partners (two male and one female).

There are two other GP practices located in the same building. The three practices share a practice manager and all other staff, including nurses. The policies are for all three practices. There is a practice nurse, a nurse prescriber, two nurse practitioners and a phlebotomist. There is also a practice manager, deputy and administrative and reception staff.

The practice and telephone lines are open from 8am until 6.30pm. GP appointment times vary daily as follows:

Monday 8.40am until 11.50am, 3pm until 5.10pm.

Tuesday 7.50am until 11.50am, 3.20pm until 5.30pm.

Wednesday 7.50am until 11am, 3.20pm until 5.30pm.

Thursday 8am until 10.50am, 3.20pm until 5.30pm.

Friday 8.40am until 11.50am, 3pm until 5.10pm.

There is flexibility with these times so GPs can see patients in an emergency.

The practice has a General Medical Service (GMS) contract with NHS England. At the time of our inspection 3869 patients were registered. The practice is in an area of high deprivation.

The practice has opted out of providing out-of-hours services to their patients. This service is provided by a registered out of hours provider.

Updated 19 November 2015

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at St Andrews Medical Practice 4 on 10 September 2015 and 24 September 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 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 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 a clear leadership structure and staff felt supported by management. The practice proactively sought feedback from staff and patients, which it acted on.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Updated 19 November 2015

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 medication 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.

Updated 19 November 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. All staff had received training in safeguarding and most had also received awareness of domestic violence training. GPs attended regular safeguarding meetings. Immunisation rates were above the national average for 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. We saw good examples of joint working with midwives, health visitors and school nurses. The practice had a Facebook page used as a way to engage with young people.

Updated 19 November 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 proactive, personalised care to meet the needs of the older people in its population and had a range of enhanced services, for example, in dementia and end of life care. All reception staff were Dementia Friends. (Dementia Friends receive training to learn more about what it is like to live with dementia, and give them a greater understanding of dementia). It was responsive to the needs of older people, and offered home visits and rapid access appointments for those with enhanced needs. Fortnightly multi-disciplinary team meetings took place and GPs met with palliative care nurses once a quarter.

Updated 19 November 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 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. Some early morning appointments were available and patients could book an appointment 24 hours a day using an on-line and telephone booking system.

Updated 19 November 2015

The practice is rated as good for the care of people experiencing poor mental health (including people with dementia). Patients experiencing poor mental health were offered double appointments, and all were offered an annual health check. 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. Staff had received training on how to care for people with mental health needs and all reception staff were Dementia Friends.

Updated 19 November 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 homeless people, travellers and those with a learning disability. It had carried out annual health checks for people with a learning disability. It offered longer appointments for people with a learning disability. The practice had signed up to the Pride in Practice scheme to support lesbian, gay and bi-sexual patients.

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.