The Phoenix Walk in Centre

Updated 31 May 2017

Phoenix Walk-In Centre is registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) as an organisational provider. The provider is part of The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust and the centre is managed in conjunction with the emergency department at New Cross Hospital.

The Walk-In Centre (WIC) was formally located in Parkfields and was formally part of the Wolverhampton City Primary Care Trust (PCT). In 2011, the WIC was transferred to the Wolverhampton NHS Trust as part of the Transforming Community Service (TCS). The objective of the WIC is to provide a complementary service to local GP practices and to the Accident and Emergency department based at New Cross Hospital. Patients can access the service by self-presenting, being directed by the NHS 111 service, being directed by West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS) or by signposting from their GP practice. The building is owned by NHS Property Services who provide estates, facilities and domestic services.

Since 2011, Phoenix WIC has been run alongside the emergency department as part of a block contract under a service specification directly commissioned by Wolverhampton Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG). The WIC provides a nurse led walk in service for any patient offering on the spot advice for minor health problems, minor illness, ailments, minor injuries and signposting to other health services. This inspection focussed on the services provided at the Phoenix WIC only.

The Phoenix WIC is open from 10am to 7pm Monday to Friday. Clinicians are rostered until 8.30pm to complete any outstanding patients. The service is open from 10am to 4pm Saturday, Sundays and on bank holidays. During the services opening times reception staff work within a dedicated reception area booking patients into the service as patients walked in. The commissioners of the service set out the range of expected patient conditions to be seen which includes a list of minor illnesses. The service does not routinely order blood tests or x-rays for walk in patients. If a test is required patients are referred back to their own GP. If an urgent referral to a speciality is needed, patients are referred to either to their own GP or to A&E.

The Phoenix WIC staffing consists of:

• Eleven Nurse Practitioners and one Advanced Nurse Practitioner (ANP) providing 11.8 WTE hours.

• Two Healthcare Assistants (2 WTE).

• Four reception/administration staff (2.1 WTE).

The management structure within the Phoenix WIC has a senior nurse practitioner as the centre manager reporting to the Senior Matron for emergency services based at New Cross Hospital. In the absence of the lead, another clinician steps up to cover as lead or an advanced clinical practitioner (ACP) filled in from the hospital.

Updated 31 May 2017

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Phoenix Walk-In Centre on 8 March 2017.  Overall, the service is rated as good.

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

• Feedback from patients about their care was consistently positive.
• The service was co-located within the Phoenix Health centre with good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs.
• The service reviewed complaints and how they are managed and responded to, and made improvements as a result.
• There was an open and transparent approach to safety and an effective system in place for reporting and recording significant events.
• There were processes in place to ensure patients attended the most appropriate service to meet their needs. Patients who attended the Walk-In Centre received an initial assessment on entry.
• Patients were informed of the waiting times to be seen by a clinician.
• Staff assessed patients’ needs and delivered care in line with current evidence based guidance. Staff had been trained to provide them with the skills, knowledge and experience to deliver effective care and treatment.
• Patient outcomes were measured against key performance indicators for emergency departments. This made it difficult to compare patient outcomes against other Walk-In Centres.
• There were information leaflets and posters available in the shared waiting area and a second notice board for patients in the Walk-in Centre’s own waiting area.
• The lead nurse practitioner met regularly with colleagues from The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust’s emergency services directorate to discuss the service provided and formulate a strategy for future delivery.
• The practice had a local clinical lead nurse practitioner and there was clinical leadership governance arrangements provided by the wider trust team.

There were areas of practice where the provider should make improvements:

• Implement a programme of clinical audits including re-audits to improve patient outcomes and ensure improvements have been achieved.
• Introduce audits of prescribing that assess the performance of individual prescribers.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice