Archived: Collings Park Medical Centre

Updated 14 April 2016

Collings Park Medical Centre was inspected on Tuesday 23 February 2016. This was a comprehensive inspection.

The main practice is situated in the coastal city of Plymouth, Devon. The practice provides a primary medical service to 4,700 patients of a diverse age group. The practice is part of Stirling Health Group which had one other practice. The practice is a teaching practice for medical students.

Collings Park Medical Centre is led by a team of two GPs partners, one female and one male. There is also a salaried GP based at Collings Park Medical Centre. Some GPs work part time and some full time. The whole time equivalent equates to two and a half GPs. Partners hold managerial and financial responsibility for running the business. The team are supported by a practice manager who is also a partner, two practice nurses, one health care assistant, and additional administration staff.

Patients using the practice also have access to community nurses, mental health teams and health visitors who are based at the practice. Other health care professionals visit the practice on a regular basis.

The practice is open between the NHS contracted opening hours 8am – 6:30pm Monday to Friday. Appointments can be offered anytime within these hours. Extended hours surgeries are offered twice a week as follows; 7am until 8am every Wednesday and 6:30pm until 7:30pm every Thursday evening.

Outside of these times patients are directed to contact the Devon doctors out of hour’s service by using the NHS 111 number.

The practice offered a range of appointment types including book on the day, telephone consultations and advance appointments.

The practice had a Personal Medical Services (PMS) contract with NHS England.

The practice provided regulated activities from 57 Eggbuckland Road, Plymouth PL3 5JR. We visited this location during our inspection.

Updated 14 April 2016

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Collings Park Medical Centre on 23 February 2016. Overall the practice is rated as good.

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

• There was an open and transparent approach to safety and an effective system in place for reporting and recording significant events.
• Risks to patients were assessed and well managed.
• Staff assessed patients’ needs and delivered care in line with current evidence based guidance. Staff had the skills, knowledge and experience to deliver effective care and treatment.
• Patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and they were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment.
• Information about services and how to complain was available and easy to understand.
• Patients said they found it easy to make an appointment with a named GP and that there was continuity of care, with urgent appointments available the same day.
• The practice had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs.
• There was a clear leadership structure and staff felt supported by management. The practice proactively sought feedback from staff and patients, which it acted on.
• The provider was aware of and complied with the requirements of the Duty of Candour.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Updated 14 April 2016

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

• Nursing staff had lead roles in chronic disease management and patients at risk of hospital admission were identified as a priority.
• The practice outcomes for patients recorded on the national quality outcomes framework were in line with national averages. For example, 73 patients diagnosed with diabetes had been invited to attend a diabetes education programme, 96% had attended. This was higher than the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) target of 90%.
• 98% of the 210 patients with respiratory disorders had received oxygen treatment reviews in the last 12 months, which was higher than the CCG target of 90%.
• Longer appointments and home visits were available when needed.
• All patients in this population group had a named GP and a structured annual review to check their health and medicines needs were being met. For those patients with the most complex needs, the named GP worked with relevant health and care professionals to deliver a multidisciplinary package of care.

Updated 14 April 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, for example, children and young patients who had a high number of A&E attendances. Immunisation rates were relatively high for all standard childhood immunisations.
• Patients told us that children and young patients were treated in an age-appropriate way and were recognised as individuals, and we saw evidence to confirm this.
• The practice had achieved 81% in its cervical screening programme, which was higher than the national target of 80%.
• Appointments were available outside of school hours and the premises were suitable for children and babies.
• We saw positive examples of joint working with midwives, health visitors and school nurses.

Updated 14 April 2016

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

• Practice nurses carried out home visits to older or housebound patients to provide flu vaccinations. This had a positive impact on 184 patients in this population group.

• The practice offered proactive, personalised care to meet the needs of the older patients in its population.
• The practice was responsive to the needs of older patients, and offered home visits and urgent appointments for those with enhanced needs.

Updated 14 April 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 that reflects the needs for this age group.
• The practice supported patients to stop smoking. Of 150 patients who had been referred for support for smoking cessation, 138 had successfully stopped smoking, a rate of 92%. This was much better than the CCG average success rate of 70%.
• The practice had systems in place to identify military veterans and ensure their priority access to secondary care in line with the national Armed Forces Covenant. The practice had a military veteran’s policy which had been reviewed in February 2016.

Updated 14 April 2016

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

• 100% of patients diagnosed with dementia that had had their care reviewed in a face to face meeting in the last 12 months, which was comparable to the national average.
• Practice nurses carried out dementia comprehensive care reviews at a local nursing home.
• The practice regularly worked with multi-disciplinary teams in the case management of patients experiencing poor mental health, including those with dementia.
• The practice carried out advance care planning for patients with dementia.
• The practice had told patients experiencing poor mental health about how to access various support groups and voluntary organisations.
• The practice had a system in place to follow up patients who had attended accident and emergency where they may have been experiencing poor mental health.
• Staff had a good understanding of how to support patients with mental health needs and dementia.

Updated 14 April 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 homeless patients, travellers and those with a learning disability.
• The practice offered longer appointments for patients with a learning disability.
• The practice regularly worked with multi-disciplinary teams in the case management of vulnerable patients.
• The practice informed vulnerable patients about how to access various support groups and voluntary organisations.
• Staff knew how to recognise signs of abuse in vulnerable adults and children. Staff were aware of their responsibilities regarding information sharing, documentation of safeguarding concerns and how to contact relevant agencies in normal working hours and out of hours.