Victoria Road Medical Centre

Background to this inspection

Updated 13 July 2017

Victoria Road Medical Centre provides medical services to approximately 4700 patients in the Aston area of Birmingham. It is an urban area with high levels of deprivation compared to other practices nationally.

The practice is a partnership between a GP (male) and a nurse. The GP partner held some clinical sessions but their main role involved clinical management of the practice. The nurse partner held some clinical sessions and supervised two other nurses and the Healthcare Assistant (HCA). There were three salaried GPs (1 female and two male) and a regular locum GP (male).

The non-clinical team consists of administrative staff and a practice manager.

Services to patients are provided under a General Medical Services (GMS) contract with NHS England. The practice has expanded its contracted obligations to provide enhanced services to patients. An enhanced service is above the contractual requirement of the practice and is

commissioned to improve the range of services available to patients

The practice is open between 8am and 6.30pm Mondays to Fridays and extended hours appointments are offered from 6.30pm to 7pm Mondays to Fridays. The practice has opted out of providing out-of-hours services to their own patients. This service is provided by an external out of hours service provider.

We reviewed the most recent data available to us from Public Health England. Data showed that the practice has a higher than the national average number of patients aged 0 to 45. The practice also has a lower than average practice population aged 45 years and over in comparison to other practices.

Overall inspection

Good

Updated 13 July 2017

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Victoria Road Medical Centre on 16 June 2016. The overall rating for the practice was requires improvement. The full comprehensive report on the June 2016 inspection can be found by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Victoria Road Medical Centre on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

This inspection was an announced focused inspection carried out on 31 May 2017 to confirm that the practice had carried out their plan to meet the legal requirements in relation to the breaches in regulations that we identified in our previous inspection. This report covers our findings in relation to those requirements and also additional improvements made since our last inspection on the 16 June 2016.

Overall the practice is rated as Good.

Our key findings were as follows:

During our previous inspection we saw that administrative staff processed letters received from other organisations such as hospitals and forwarded those requiring action to the GP. However, there was no clinical oversight in place ensure that triage and actions were appropriate and safe. At this follow up inspection we saw this had been reviewed and a safer process introduced.

When we inspected the practice in June 2016 we saw performance for mental health related indicators was lower compared to local and national averages. The practice reviewed this and the most current published data showed improved achievement for mental health indicators.

When we inspected the practice in June 2016 results from the national GP patient survey showed that patient’s satisfaction with how they could access care and treatment was lower compared to local and national averages, particularly around telephone access. The practice had employed administration staff which resulted in 20 hours additional reception support during peak times. It also allowed the practice more flexibility as shifts could be changed to match demand.

Plans were in place to install a new telephone system that will provide a live feedback of demand (the number of calls waiting and the number of dropped call) through an information board enabling the practice to better match resources to demand.

In addition the provider should:

Ensure ongoing quality improvement strategies can demonstrate positive impact on access to appointments.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP)

Chief Inspector of General Practice