Archived: University Southgate Practice

Updated 21 December 2016

University Southgate Practice is located in Selly Oak in Birmingham and provides primary medical services to Selly Oak and the surrounding area. It has a transient population of mainly students attending nearby universities making up over 50% of the registered patient list for the practice. The remainder of the practice patient list comprises 250 patients up to 17 years of age; 1070 patients aged 26 to 64 years; 60 patients aged 65 to 74 years and 72 patients over the age of 75 years. Due to the higher number of younger patients the practice prevalence rates are lower than local and national averages.

Although University Southgate Practice is registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) as a partnership of two GP partners for business continuity, the practice has a working arrangement in place to operate as a single-handed GP practice. The GP is supported by a practice manager, a practice nurse, (a locum nurse who provides additional support) administration and reception staff. There were 2600 patients registered with the practice at the time of the inspection.

The practice has a General Medical Services (GMS) contract with NHS England. The GMS contract requires GPs to meet set quality standards and the particular needs of their local population.

Opening hours are from 8.30am to 12.30pm and 3.30pm to 7pm on Mondays and Tuesdays; 8.30am till 12.30 pm on Wednesdays and Thursdays; and 8.30am to 12.30pm and 3.30pm to 6.30pm on Fridays. The practice is closed on Wednesday and Thursday afternoons and at weekends. Southdoc provides cover during daytime hours when the practice is closed.

They do not provide an out-of-hours service but has alternative arrangements in place for patients to be seen when the practice is closed. For example, if patients call the practice when it is closed, an answerphone message gives the telephone number they should ring depending on the circumstances. Information on the out-of-hours service (provided by Primecare and linked to the 111 service) is available on the practice’s website and in the patient practice leaflet.

Online access has been provided for patients since 2006 to book and cancel appointments, request repeat medicines, send secure messages and update contact details. Patients can also apply to access their medical records online. Home visits are also available for patients who are too ill to attend the practice for appointments.

The practice treats patients of all ages and provides a range of medical services. This includes themanagement ofchronic diseases such as asthma and diabetes. The practice offers a wide variety of othermedical servicesincluding antenatal and postnatal care, minor surgery, childhood vaccinations,travel vaccinationsand well-person check-ups.

Updated 21 December 2016

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at University Southgate Practice on 1 November 2016. The overall rating for this service is good.

Our key findings across all the areas we inspected were as follows:

• There was an open and transparent approach to safety and a system in place for reporting and recording significant events.
• Information about patient safety alerts was reviewed and communicated to staff by the practice manager.
• Although clinical audits and patient searches were carried out and improvements made to enhance patient care, repeat audit cycles were not completed to demonstrate that changes made were effective.
• Risks to patients were assessed and well managed through practice meetings and collaborative discussions with the multi-disciplinary team. Patients’ needs were assessed and care was planned and delivered following best practice guidance.
• Patients told us they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and they were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment.
• The practice had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs. This included easy access for patients who used wheelchairs and baby changing facilities.
• Information about services and how to complain was available and easy to understand. Patients told us that they knew how to complain if they needed to.
• There was a clear leadership structure and staff told us they felt supported by management. The practice proactively sought feedback from patients, which it acted on. Staff appeared motivated to deliver high standards of care and there was evidence of team working throughout the practice.

The areas where the provider should make improvements are:

• Take action to ensure the system put in place for monitoring of uncollected prescriptions is fully implemented.
• Carry out clinical audits with re-audits to ensure improvements to patient outcomes are monitored and evaluated for their effectiveness.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Updated 21 December 2016

The practice is rated as good for the care of patients with long-term conditions.

• The GP and nurses managed patients with chronic diseases. Patients at risk of hospital admission were identified as a priority.
• Longer appointments and home visits were available when needed.
• All patients diagnosed with a long term condition were offered six monthly reviews to check that their health and medicine needs were being met.
• Clinical staff had close working relationships with external health professionals to ensure patients received up to date and joined up care.
• NHS health checks were offered for early identification of chronic disease and proactive monitoring.
• Patients were signposted to the practice website which had links to other patient information websites.

Updated 21 December 2016

The practice is rated as good for the care of families, children and young patients.

• There were systems in place to identify and follow up children living in disadvantaged circumstances and who were at risk of abuse.
• Patients told us that children and young patients were treated in an age-appropriate way and were recognised as individuals, and we saw evidence that confirmed this.
• Appointments were available outside of school hours and the premises were suitable and accessible for children. There was a play area in the waiting room for children.
• We saw good examples of joint working with midwives, health visitors, and district nurses and a midwife led clinic was provided at University Southgate Practice.
• A number of online services were offered including booking appointments and requesting repeat medicines.
• The practice provided routine immunisations for children, coil fitting, contraception and family planning.

Updated 21 December 2016

The practice is rated as good for the care of older patients.

• The practice offered personalised care to meet the needs of the older patients in its population. It was responsive to the needs of older patients, offered home visits and rapid access appointments for those patients with enhanced needs.
• All staff had received training on the Mental Capacity Act and the Deprivation of Liberty guidance.
• Nationally reported data showed that outcomes for patients were good for conditions commonly found in older patients.
• The practice offered a range of enhanced services, for example, in dementia and end of life care.

Updated 21 December 2016

The practice is rated as good for the care of working-age patients (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 services that reflected the needs of this age group.
• The practice nurse had oversight for the management of a number of clinical areas, including immunisations and cervical cytology.
• The practice provided extended hours appointments during evenings on Mondays and Tuesdays until 7pm and on Fridays until 6.30pm each week to support patients with work commitments.
• Health promotion advice was offered and there was accessible health promotion material available at the practice and on their website.
• The practice used the E-Referral system (formerly Choose and Book) to allow patients to choose the location and timings of their secondary care appointments.

Updated 21 December 2016

The practice is rated as good for the care of patients experiencing poor mental health (including patients with dementia).

• The practice regularly worked with multi-disciplinary teams in the case management of patients experiencing poor mental health, including those with dementia. It carried out advanced care planning and annual health checks for patients with dementia and poor mental health.
• Staff had a good understanding of how to support patients with mental health needs and dementia.
• The practice had advised patients experiencing poor mental health how to access various support groups and voluntary organisations.
• Nationally reported data showed that outcomes for patients were good for conditions commonly found for patients with poor mental health.

Updated 21 December 2016

The practice is rated as good for the care of patients whose circumstances may make them vulnerable.

• The practice held a register of patients living in vulnerable circumstances including 15 patients with a learning disability. The practice offered longer appointments for patients with a learning disability and 10 of the 15 patients on their register had received a care review so far this year.
• Clinical staff regularly worked with multidisciplinary teams in the case management of vulnerable patients. Alerts were placed on these patients’ records so that staff were aware they might need to be prioritised for appointments and offered additional attention such as longer appointments.
• Staff had been trained to recognise signs of abuse in vulnerable adults and children and the action they should take if they had concerns.
• The practice informed vulnerable patients about how to access various support groups and voluntary organisations.