Archived: Kelvedon and Feering Health Centre

Updated 31 March 2015

Kelvedon and Feering Health Centre is located on the High Street in the village town of Kelvedon, which is geographically situated between Chelmsford and Colchester. The practice provides services for approximately 4,943 patients living in Kelvedon and surrounding villages including Tiptree, Silver End and Witham. The practice holds a General Medical Services (GMS) contract and provides GP services commissioned by NHS Mid Essex Clinical Commissioning Group.

The practice is managed by one GP supported by clinical staff; one salaried GP, one locum GP, two practice nurses who work part time, one healthcare assistant and one phlebotomist. The practice also employs a practice manager, a deputy practice manager, five reception staff, two secretaries and one administration staff.

The practice is open from 8.30am to 1pm and 2pm to 6.30pm on weekdays. GP appointments are available between 9am and 11.50 am, and between 2pm and 6.20pm. Nurse led appointments and clinics are also available with ante-natal clinics held on alternate Thursdays and childhood immunisations clinics held every Wednesday morning. Routine appointments can be pre-booked up to three weeks in advance in person, by telephone or online. Home visits and telephone consultations are available daily as required.

The practice has opted out of providing GP services to patients outside of normal working hours such as evenings and weekends. During these times GP services are provided by Primecare Primary Care, an out-of-hours advice, emergency and non-emergency treatment service. Details of how to access out-of-hours advice and treatment is available within the practice, on the practice website and in the practice leaflet.

Updated 31 March 2015

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We conducted a comprehensive announced inspection on 11 March 2015 under the new approach.

Specifically, we found the practice to be good for providing safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led services. It was also good for providing services for the 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 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, addressed and shared with staff during meetings.
• Risks to patients were assessed and 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 readily available and easy to understand.
• 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 was an area of practice where the provider needed to make improvements.

The provider should

• Ensure that regular infection control audits, including audits in relation to minor surgical procedures are carried out to test the effectiveness of infection control policies, procedures and practices.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Updated 31 March 2015

This practice is rated as good for the care of people with long term conditions. The practice had effective arrangements for making sure that people with long term conditions were invited to the practice for annual and half yearly reviews of their health. Appointments were available with the practice nurse for annual health checks and reviews for long term conditions such as diabetes and respiratory conditions including asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). When needed, longer appointments and home visits were available. 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.

People whose health prevented them from being able to attend the surgery received the same service from one of the practice nurses who arranged visits to them at home (including patients in the local care home the practice supports). Patients told us they were seen regularly to help them manage their health.

Updated 31 March 2015

The practice is rated as good for the population group of families, children and young people. Appointments could be booked in person or by telephone. Appointments could be booked up to two weeks in advance.

Information and advice was available to promote health to women before, during and after pregnancy. Expectant mothers had access to midwife clinics every week. The practice monitored the physical and developmental progress of babies and young children. There were arrangements for identifying and monitoring children who were at risk of abuse or neglect.

Records showed that looked after children (such as those in foster care / under the care of the Local Authority), those subject to child protection orders and children living in disadvantaged circumstances were discussed and any issues shared and followed up at monthly multi-disciplinary meetings. GPs and nurses monitored children and young people who had a high number of A&E attendances or those who failed to attend appointments for immunisations and shared information appropriately. Staff were trained to recognise and deal with acutely ill babies and children and to take appropriate action.

There was information available to inform mothers about all childhood immunisations, what they are, and at what age the child should have them as well as other checks for new-born babies. Staff proactively followed up patients who failed to attend appointments for routine immunisation and vaccination programmes.

Information and advice on sexual health and contraception was provided during GP and nurse appointments.

Updated 31 March 2015

This practice is rated as good for the care of older people. Patients over the age of 75 had a named GP and were included on the practice’s ‘unplanned admissions avoidance’ list to alert staff to people who may be more vulnerable. The GPs carried out visits to people’s homes if they were unable to travel to the practice for appointments. The practice was in the process of delivering its flu vaccination programme. The practice nurse had arranged to attend patient’s homes if their health prevented them from attending the clinics at the surgery. The practice worked with a local care home to provide a responsive service to the people who lived there.

The practice identified people with caring responsibilities and those who required additional support which was recorded on their patient record. Patients with caring responsibilities were invited to register as carers so that they could be offered support and advice about the range of agencies and benefits available to them.

Updated 31 March 2015

The practice is rated as good for the population group 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. Appointments could be booked online, in person or by telephone. Appointments could be booked up to two weeks in advance.

Information about annual health checks for patients aged between 40 and 74 years was available within the practice and on their website. Nurse led clinics were provided for well patient health checks. The practice provided travel advice and vaccination through appointments with the practice nurse team. Information on the various vaccinations available including diphtheria, tetanus, polio, and hepatitis A was available on the practice website. When patients required referral to specialist services they were offered a choice of services, locations and dates through the choose and book system.

Updated 31 March 2015

The practice is rated as good for the population group of people experiencing poor mental health (including people with dementia). People experiencing poor mental health had received an annual physical health check. The practice regularly worked with multi-disciplinary teams in the case management of people experiencing poor mental health including those with dementia. The practice provided dementia screening services and referrals were made to specialist services as required.

The practice had sign-posted patients experiencing poor mental health to various support groups and third sector organisations including MIND. Patients were referred to local counselling sessions where appropriate and patients were provided with information how to self-refer should they wish to receive counselling.

Updated 31 March 2015

This practice is rated as good for the care of people living in vulnerable circumstances. The practice had a register of patients who had learning disabilities. All patients with learning disabilities were invited to attend for an annual health check. The practice regularly worked with multidisciplinary teams in the case management of vulnerable people. The practice had sign-posted vulnerable patients to various support groups and third sector 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 and out of hours.