Archived: Newton Community Hospital Practice

Updated 24 November 2017

Newton Community Hospital Practice is located in Newton Le Willows, Merseyside. The practice was providing a service to 3,180 patients at the time of our inspection.

The practice is part of St Helens Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and is situated in an area with higher than average levels of deprivation when compared to other practices nationally. The practice has a lower than average elderly population and a higher than average younger population.

The practice is run by SSP Health GPMS Ltd. Two GPs work at the practice (one male and one female). There are two practice nurses, one health care assistant, a practice manager and a team of reception/administration staff.

The practice is open from 8am to 7.30pm on Mondays and 8am to 6.30pm Tuesday to Friday. When the surgery is closed patients are directed to the GP out of hours service provider St Helens Rota.

Patients can book appointments in person, via the telephone or online. The practice provides telephone consultations, pre-bookable consultations, urgent consultations and home visits. The practice treats patients of all ages and provides a range of primary medical services.

The practice has a General Medical Services (GMS) contract. The practice provides a range of enhanced services, for example: extended hours, childhood vaccination and immunisations and checks for patients who have a learning disability.

Updated 24 November 2017

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Newton Community Hospital Practice on 26 September 2017. Overall the practice is rated as good. Our key findings across all the areas we inspected were as follows:

• Staff understood and fulfilled their responsibilities to raise concerns and report incidents and near misses. Significant events had been investigated and action had been taken as a result of the learning from events.

• Systems were in place to deal with medical emergencies and staff were trained in basic life support.

• There were systems in place to reduce risks to patient safety. For example, infection control practices were carried out appropriately and there were regular checks on the environment and on equipment used.

• Staff assessed patients’ needs and delivered care in line with current evidence based guidance.

• Feedback from patients about the care and treatment they received from clinicians was positive. Patients told us they were treated with dignity and respect and they were involved in decisions about their care and treatment.

• Data showed that outcomes for patients at this practice were similar to outcomes for patients locally and nationally.

• Staff had been trained to provide them with the skills, knowledge and experience to deliver effective care and treatment.

• Patients said they found it easy to make an appointment and there was good continuity of care. The appointments system was flexible to accommodate the needs of patients. Urgent appointments were available the same day and routine appointments could be booked in advance.

• The practice had good facilities, including disabled access. It was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs.

• Information about services and how to complain was available. Complaints had been investigated and responded to in a timely manner.

• There was a clear leadership and staff structure and staff understood their roles and responsibilities.

• The practice had a clear vision to provide a safe and high quality service.

• The practice provided a range of enhanced services to meet the needs of the local population.

• The practice sought patient views about improvements that could be made to the service. This included the practice having and consulting with a patient participation group (PPG).

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Updated 24 November 2017

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

• The practice held information about the prevalence of specific long term conditions within its patient population. This included conditions such as diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), cardio vascular disease and hypertension. The information was used to target service provision, for example to ensure patients who required immunisations received these.

• Patients with a long term condition were provided with regular, structured reviews of their health.

• Patients with several long term conditions were offered a single, longer appointment to avoid multiple visits to the surgery.

• Data from 2015 to 2016 showed that the practice was performing comparably to or better than other practices nationally for the care and treatment of people with chronic health conditions.

• The practice held regular multi-disciplinary meetings to discuss patients with complex needs and patients receiving end of life care.

• Patients were provided with advice and guidance about prevention and management of their health and were signposted to support services.

Updated 24 November 2017

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

• There were systems in place to identify and follow up children living in disadvantaged circumstances and those who were at risk, for example, children and young people who had a high number of A&E attendances.

• Staff we spoke with had appropriate knowledge about child protection and they had ready access to safeguarding policies and procedures.

• An ‘early years’ fact sheet was sent to new parents providing information about the vaccination schedule, breast feeding, cytology and other health related information to provide guidance and support to families.

• A childhood illness booklet was also given to families with young children.

• Child health surveillance clinics were provided for 6-8 week olds.

• Immunisation rates were comparable to the national average for all standard childhood immunisations. Opportunistic immunisations were given to encourage uptake. The practice monitored non-attendance of babies and children at vaccination clinics and staff told us they would report any concerns they identified to relevant professionals.

• Babies and young children were offered an appointment as a priority and appointments were available outside of school hours.

• The premises were suitable for children and babies and baby changing facilities were available.

• Family planning services were provided.

• The percentage of women aged 25-64 whose notes recorded that a cervical screening test had been performed in the preceding five years was 98% which was higher than the national average of 72%.

Updated 24 November 2017

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

• The practice offered proactive, personalised care and treatment to meet the needs of the older people in its population.

• The practice kept up to date registers of patients with a range of health conditions (including conditions common in older people) and used this information to plan reviews of health care and to offer services such as vaccinations for flu.

• Patients over the age of 75 years were offered a health check and care plan with a view to improving the health and wellbeing of these patients and prevent unplanned admissions to hospital.

• Nationally reported data showed that outcomes for patients for conditions commonly found in older people were comparable to outcomes for patients locally and nationally.

• Home visits and urgent appointments were provided for patients with enhanced needs.

• The practice used the ‘Gold Standard Framework’ (this is a systematic evidence based approach to improving the support and palliative care of patients nearing the end of their life) to ensure patients received appropriate care.

• Practice staff had been provided with training in dementia awareness to support them in supporting patients with dementia care needs.

Updated 24 November 2017

The practice is rated as good for the care of working-age people (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.

• Telephone consultations were provided and patients therefore did not always have to attend the practice in person.

• The practice provided a full range of health promotion and screening that reflected the needs of this age group.

• The practice was proactive in offering online services including the booking of appointments and requests for repeat prescriptions. Electronic prescribing was also provided.

Updated 24 November 2017

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

• The practice held a register of patients experiencing poor mental health and these patients were offered an annual review of their physical and mental health.

• Data about how people with mental health needs were supported showed that outcomes for patients using this practice were comparable to local and national averages.

• The practice worked with other health and social care professionals in the case management of people experiencing poor mental health, including those with dementia.

• The practice referred patients to appropriate services such as psychiatry and counselling services.

• A system was in place to follow up patients who had attended accident and emergency and this included where people had been experiencing poor mental health.

• A systems was in place to prompt patients for medicines reviews at intervals suitable to the medication they were prescribed.

• Patients experiencing poor mental health were informed about how to access various support groups and voluntary organisations.

• Staff had been provided with training in dementia awareness to support them in supporting patients with dementia care needs.

Updated 24 November 2017

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

• The practice held a register of patients living in vulnerable circumstances in order to provide the services patients required. For example, a register of people who had a learning disability was maintained to ensure patients were provided with an annual health check and to ensure longer appointments were provided for patients who required these.

• An ‘important persons’ register had also been devised to monitor patients who were more at risk by nature of their circumstances. For example to ensure patients had attended appointments.

• The practice worked with other health and social care professionals in the case management of vulnerable people.

• 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.

• The practice provided appropriate access and facilities for people who were disabled.

• Staff had been provided with training in dementia awareness to assist them in supporting patients with dementia care needs.

• Information and advice was available about how patients could access a range of support groups and voluntary organisations.