Archived: Regents Park Surgery

Updated 13 August 2015

Regents Park Surgery, Park Street, Shirley, Southampton, SO16 4RJ, was a long standing practice established in 1991 in a purpose built surgery owned by the GP partners. The practice located in the western area of the City of Southampton and covered an urban area with a mixed demographic make-up of differing health needs and area of diabetes, drugs misuse, obesity, smoking and teenage pregnancy had all been identified as areas of priority. The practice was close to Southampton General Hospital.

The practice at the time of our visit had four partner GPs two male and two female with a whole time equivalent of three. The practice employed two practice nurses and a health care assistant working a total of 63 hours per week. The clinical team were supported by a full time practice manager and part time reception manager, medical secretary, medical administrator, administration assistant and a team of seven part time reception staff. The practice also had a full time administration apprentice. The practice held a general medical services contract with the Southampton Clinical Commissioning Group and had a stable patient list of just less than 6000.

The practice was open between 8:30am -12:30pm and 2:00pm and 6:00pm, Monday to Friday, urgent appointments could take place between 8:00am and 6:30pm. Appointments were a mixture of 10 minute pre-bookable appointments up to two weeks in advance and a book on the day clinic running twice daily from Monday to Friday. One GP assumed the responsibility of duty GP and saw urgent cases and carried out home visits which were divided into mornings and afternoons. GPs would usually visit their own patients if possible. The practice had made a decision after investigation to stop providing extended hours.

The practice had become part of the Southampton Federation which had successfully bid for funding under the Prime Minister's challenge fund. The bid will provide access to both urgent and long-term condition care eight until eight, seven days a week.

When the practice was closed and patients had an urgent problem which could not wait until the practice re opened they were advised to call 111. The service was available 24 hours, seven days a week including Bank Holidays. Patients were then directed to an out-of-hours service.

The practice also hosted the Community Nursing Team from NHS Solent and they had weekly visiting community services such as midwifery and therapist.

This was a teaching practice and teaches year two and four and final year medical students from the University of Southampton. The practice GPs were members of the Wessex GP Educational trust and is a research practice.

The practice has a group representing the patients known as the Friends of Regents Park Surgery. This was a voluntary group of patients from the practice who joined to find ways of supporting the practice staff and extending services by providing equipment that benefitted the patients. They also represented the views of patients and assisted with patient surveys.

The practice was last inspected by the Care Quality Commission in February 2014 under our previous inspection methodology. The practice met all the required standards during that inspection.

Updated 13 August 2015

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Regents Park Surgery, Park Street, Shirley, Southampton, SO16 4RJ on 14 April 2015. Overall the practice is rated as good.

Specifically, we found the practice to be good for providing safe, well-led, effective, caring and responsive services. It was also good for providing services for the care of older people, people with long-term conditions, care of families, children and young people, working-age people (including those recently retired and students),care of people whose circumstances may make them vulnerable and people experiencing poor mental health (including people with dementia).

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.
• The practice’s performance for the cervical screening programme was 100%, which was well above the national average of 81.89%.
• 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.
• The practice had responded to an increase in Polish patients by employing a Polish speaking receptionist.
• 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 13 August 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 13 August 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, for example, children and young people who had a high number of accident and emergency 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. 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.

Updated 13 August 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. It was responsive to the needs of older people, and offered home visits and rapid access appointments for those with enhanced needs.

Updated 13 August 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.

Updated 13 August 2015

The practice is rated as good for the care of people experiencing poor mental health (including people with dementia). Data supplied by the practice showed that 95% of 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. 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. It had a system in place to follow up patients who had attended the local accident and emergency department when they had been experiencing poor mental health. Staff had received training on how to care for people with mental health needs and dementia.

The local community mental health service was based within walking distance of the practice. The local Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) is a national NHS programme increasing the availability of services across England offering treatments for people with depression and anxiety disorders. The IAPTS service offers counselling to patients at the practice premises.

The practice had a memory advisor who has recently started working with in this locality. This person supported patients and families of those with dementia. The practice also had access to the Admiral nursing services for dementia. Admiral nurses are specialist dementia nurses who give much-needed practical and emotional support to family carers, as well as the person with dementia.

Updated 13 August 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 and these patients had received a check-up. It offered longer appointments for people with a learning disability.

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.