Updated 29 October 2019
Weeping Cross Medical Centre is located on the outskirts of Stafford. The main site at Weeping Cross has good transport links and there is a pharmacy located nearby. The medical centre had two branches Beaconside Health Centre and John Amer Drive. Beaconside Health Centre is a branch practice with a catchment area that includes Staffordshire University and Stafford Ministry of Defence barracks. We visited this branch as part of our inspection on 24 September 2019. John Amery Drive is a branch practice located in Stafford; we visited this branch during our inspection on 24 September 2019.
The provider is registered with CQC to deliver the Regulated Activities; diagnostic and screening procedures, family planning; maternity and midwifery services; surgical procedures and treatment of disease, disorder or injury. These are delivered from both sites.
Weeping Cross Medical Centre is a member of NHS Stafford and Surrounds Clinical Commissioning Group. The main site and two branches currently run separate patient lists and offer GP services to 10,000 patients at Weeping Cross; 7,000 patients at Beaconside and 2700 patients at John Amery Drive. The Weeping Cross site has a dispensary facility for patients who live more than one mile from their nearest pharmacy. The practice now has a general medical services contract with National Health Service England which is the most common type of medical service contract. (Formerly the medical centre held a primary medical services contract, which changed shortly after our last inspection in April 2015).
The provider has eight partners, seven of whom are clinical and part time and one is a business partner. The partners also employ four salaried GPs and four ANPS (advanced nurse practitioners). The medical team is further supported by a team of five practice nurses, two health care support workers and a dispenser. A management team is supported by an administrative and reception team and the management team support each site. The practice is part of the Stafford Central PCN (Primary Care Network).
The practice is a training practice for GP registrars (qualified doctors who undertake additional training) and medical students to gain experience and higher qualifications in General Practice and family medicine. The practice does not routinely provide an out-of-hours service to their own patients, but patients are directed to Staffordshire Doctors Urgent Care (SDUC), out-of-hours services via 111 when the practice was closed.
In partnership with other practices from the PCN some additional appointments were available. Additionally, a network of GP practices has been set up across Stafford, Rugeley and the Seisdon area of Staffordshire offering extended opening hours for pre-bookable and same day routine appointments with a healthcare professional (e.g. Advanced Nurse Practitioner, Clinical Pharmacist, GP). Further information about the practice and when it is open can be found at www.wxhc.org.uk/home/.