Updated 8 August 2018
Hallgarth Surgery is registered with the Care Quality Commission to provide primary care services. The provider of this service is Intrahealth Limited, which is a corporate provider of NHS primary care services. The practice provides services to around 5,500 patients from one location; Cheapside, Shildon, County Durham, DL4 2HP, we visited this location as part of this inspection.
Hallgarth Surgery is located in purpose built premises single storey premises. There is car parking in the street at the front and the rear of the premises.
The practice has three salaried GPs (two male and one female), whole time equivalent (WTE) 2.5 and one long term locum GP WTE 0.2. There are two full time advanced nurse practitioners (ANP), three practice nurses (WTE 1.9), a full-time physician associate, pharmacist, assistant practitioner and health care assistant. There is a practice and office manager. There are 11 staff, who undertake administration duties, WTE 7.14.
The practice is a training practice which has GP trainees allocated to the practice (trainees are fully qualified doctors allocated to the practice as part of a three-year postgraduate general practice vocational training programme). The practice supports trainee ANP’s, nursing students, clinical pharmacists and physician’s associates.
The practice opening times are 8.30am to 6pm Monday to Friday other than a Tuesday evening when there are extended opening hours until 7.30pm. Appointments are available Monday to Friday, 8:30 – 11:20am, 1 until 6pm, then on a Tuesday evening until 7.15pm and family planning clinic is available until 7.10pm.
The practice provides late evening, weekend and bank holiday appointments;
they are part of the local GP federation of GP practices who work together to provide appointments with GPs, nurses or health care assistants outside of their normal working hours. Patients can contact the practice reception team to arrange appointments. When this service is not provided patients requiring urgent medical care can contact the out of hours provided by the NHS 111 service.
The practice is part of NHS Durham Dales and Sedgefield clinical commission group (CCG). The practice provides services based on a Personal Medical Services (PMS) contract agreement for general practice.
Information from Public Health England places the area in which the practice is located in the first most deprived decile. The income deprivation score for the practice is 43 compared to the CCG average of 30 and the national average of 24. In general, people living in more deprived areas tend to have greater need for health services. Average male life expectancy at the practice is 76 years which is lower than the national average of 79. Average female life expectancy at the practice is 78 years which is lower than the national average of 83 years.