Archived: Orrell Park Medical Centre Also known as SSP Health Ltd

Updated 20 August 2015

Orrell Park Medical Centre is located in the outskirts of Liverpool. There were 3987 patients registered at the practice at the time of our inspection.

The practice has two male GPs, a practice nurse, a healthcare assistant, and reception and administration staff. The practice also has locum GPs.

The practice is open 8.00am to 6.30pm Monday to Friday. The practice offers extended hours opening on Tuesdays until 8pm and appointments with the practice nurse from 7.30am Monday to Thursday. Patients requiring a GP appointment outside of normal opening hours are advised to contact an external out of hours service provider (Integrated Care Sefton). The practice held a primary medical services contract (PMS). The practice had recently been accredited as a training practice and already teaches medical students.

Updated 20 August 2015

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

This is the report from our announced comprehensive inspection of Orrell Park Medical Centre on the 20 July 2015.

Overall the practice is rated as good.

Our key findings were as follows:

• There were systems in place to mitigate safety risks including analysing significant events and safeguarding. Systems were in place to ensure medication including vaccines were appropriately stored and in date. The practice used a pharmacy advisor to ensure the practice was prescribing in line with current guidelines.

• A Local Medical Director had been recently appointed to oversee the clinical governance of the practice and was proactively encouraging the use of clinical audits to ensure patients received treatment in line with best practice standards.

• Patients had their needs assessed in line with current guidance and the practice had a holistic approach to patient care offering longer appointments where necessary.

• Feedback from patients and observations throughout our inspection highlighted the staff were kind, caring and helpful. However some dissatisfaction was expressed with not being able to get through on the telephone to make an appointment and not seeing the same GP for consistency of care.

There were also areas of practice where the provider should make improvements.

The provider should:

• Improve the telephone systems for patients to arrange appointments as a matter of priority.

• Review their appointment system to maximise the number of appointments available for patients when their recruitment plans are fulfilled.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Updated 20 August 2015

The practice continuously contacted these patients to attend annual reviews to check that their health and medication needs were being met. The practice had adopted a holistic approach to patient care rather than making separate appointments for each medical condition. The practice offered appointments up to 45 minutes to ensure patients with multiple needs were seen.

Updated 20 August 2015

One GP was the safeguarding lead for the practice. There were systems in place to identify and follow up children living in disadvantaged circumstances.

The midwife visited the practice once a week and there were immunisation clinics. The practice had an ‘early years’ fact sheet to provide information for example on immunisations. The practice had developed an ‘Access for Children’ policy to ensure that all children under five could be seen on the same day if required.

Updated 20 August 2015

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, the avoidance of unplanned admissions scheme where patients who were identified on this service had completed care plans in place. The practice had a designated named GP for patients who are 75 and over. The practice carried out home visits.

Updated 20 August 2015

The needs of this group had been identified and the practice had adjusted the services it offered to ensure these were accessible, flexible and offered continuity of care. For example the practice offered telephone consultations instead of patients having to attend the practice and the ability to text to cancel their appointments. The practice offered online prescription ordering and online appointment services.

Updated 20 August 2015

The practice referred patients to the appropriate services to provide help for patients with anxiety, depression and other mental health conditions. The practice maintained a register of patients with mental health needs in order to regularly review their needs or care plans.

Staff had recently attended Mental Capacity Act training and SSP Health Ltd had also disseminated information regarding Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards to all its practices.

Updated 20 August 2015

Notice boards in the waiting room had local support information displayed. Staff were aware of their responsibilities regarding information sharing, documentation of safeguarding concerns and how to contact relevant agencies.