Ventnor Medical Centre

Updated 8 July 2016

Ventnor Medical Centre located in purpose built premises at 3 Albert St, Ventnor, PO38 1EZ.

Ventnor Medical Centre has an NHS General Medical Services contract to provide health services to approximately 5000 patients in and around Ventnor, and surrounding area. The practice covers a mixed urban rural population and has a higher than national average for males and females aged 55 years and over. Older patients account for the largest group of registered patients at the practice. The practice is placed in the fourth least deprived level of deprivation.

There are consulting and treatment rooms on the ground floor.

The practice has four male GP partners. The practice has two practice nurses and two healthcare assistants.

The clinical team are supported by a practice manager and a team of 10 receptionists and administration support staff.

The practice is open Monday to Friday 8:00am to 6:30pm. Phone lines are open from 8.30am to 6.30pm Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays). The practice closes for lunch between 1pm and 2pm but phone lines remain open.

GP appointments are available Monday to Friday between 9am to 10.40am and 2.50pm to 5.30pm. Nurse appointments are available Mondays to Fridays between 9am to 12.30pm and 2pm to 5.30pm.

Same day appointments can be booked at any time from 8.30am on the day patients need the appointment for. Routine appointments could be booked up to four weeks in advance.

Appointments could be made by phone, on line or by visiting the practice. The practice offered online booking for appointments and requesting prescriptions.

The practice offered telephone consultation appointments with the GP or nurses which could be arranged via the reception team. The practice also offered home visits if required and appointments with the practice nurses if the patient felt they did not need to speak with a GP.

The practice did not offer extended hours but patients with minor illness could sometimes be seen by the nursing team.

The practice has opted out of providing out-of-hours services to their own patients and refers them to the Out of Hours service via the NHS 111 service.

Updated 8 July 2016

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Ventnor Medical Centre on 14 April 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:

Review the generic safeguarding policy so that it reflects the process at the practice.

Review the recruitment policy that contains details of who should have a Disclosure and Barring Service check and review the policy.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Updated 8 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.

• 99% of patients with diabetes, on the register, who have had influenza vaccine in the preceding 1 August to 31 March (01/04/2014 to 31/03/2015) which is higher than the national average of 95%.

• 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 8 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.

• 79% of women aged 25-64 whose notes record that a cervical screening test has been performed in the preceding 5 years (01/04/2014 to 31/03/2015), which is comparable to the national average of 82%.

• Appointments were available outside of school hours and the premises were suitable for children and babies.

• We saw positive examples of joint working with midwives and health visitors.

Updated 8 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 patients in its population.

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

• The practice has a health care assistant trained for the care of older patients.

• The practice had multi-disciplinary team meetings with other healthcare professionals to review the needs of older people and coordinated anticipatory care plans with out of hours and secondary care services to manage patients at the end of life.

Updated 8 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 8 July 2016

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

• 87% of patients diagnosed with dementia that had their care reviewed in a face to face meeting in the last 12 months, which is comparable to the national average at 84%.

• 96% of patients with schizophrenia, bipolar affective disorder and other psychoses who had a comprehensive, agreed care plan documented in the record, in the preceding 12 months (01/04/2014 to 31/03/2015) which is higher than the national average of 89%.

• The practice regularly worked with multi-disciplinary teams in the case management of patients experiencing poor mental health, including those living with dementia.

• The practice carried out advance care planning for patients living 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 those living with dementia.

Updated 8 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 patients 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.