Stafford Health and Wellbeing

Updated 28 December 2016

Stafford Health and Wellbeing is registered with CQC as a partnership provider operating out of new purpose built premises in Stafford. Car parking, (including disabled parking) is available at this practice.

The practice holds a General Medical Services contract with NHS England.

The practice is part of the NHS Staffordshire and Surrounds Clinical Commissioning Group.

The practice area is one of high deprivation when compared with the local average but is less deprived than the national average. The practice has higher than average rate of male and female patients aged 40 and up compared with the national averages.

At the time of our inspection the practice had 10,658 registered patients

The practice staffing comprises of:

• Five GP partners

• Three salaried GPs

• One pharmacist

• Four practice nurses

• Two Healthcare assistants

• The practice manager oversees the operational delivery of services with a team of administrative staff.

The practice is open between 8am and 7.30pm Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, and 8am to 6pm on Thursday. On Friday the practice is open from 8am to 1pm and then from 3pm to 6pm. The practice is closed one afternoon each month for team training. 

When the practice is closed patients are advised to call the surgery where their call will be diverted after 6.30pm to the designated out of hours service, which is provided by Staffordshire Doctors Urgent Care service.

Updated 28 December 2016

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Stafford Health and Wellbeing on 28 September 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.
• 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, although some staff were not all up-to-date with some training.
• 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. Improvements were made to the quality of care as a result of complaints and concerns.
• Patients said they found it easy to make an appointment with a GP and 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.

The areas where the provider should make improvement are:

The provider should:

• Develop an effective system which identifies when training updates and indemnity updates are due and complete the outstanding staff training.

• Develop and implement a protocol for dealing with uncollected prescriptions.

• Implement a consistent system for checking and evidencing that monitoring for patients who take long term medicines on a shared care basis, has been provided before the medicines are issued.

• Develop and implement an effective protocol to follow-up on medical alerts such as the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) which includes documenting the action taken in response to the alerts.

• Review the way in which patients who are carers are identified and recorded.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Updated 28 December 2016

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

• The percentage of patients with diabetes, on the register, who had influenza immunisation was 98%, this was higher than the CCG average of 97% and the national average of 95%.

• The percentage of patients on the diabetes register, with a record of a foot examination and risk classification was 91% compared to the CCG average of 87% and the national average of 89%.

• Nursing staff had lead roles in chronic disease management and patients at risk of hospital admission were identified as a priority.

• Longer appointments and home visits were available when needed.

• Patients had a structured annual review to check their health and medicines needs were being met. For those patients with the most complex needs, the practice worked with relevant health and care professionals to deliver a multidisciplinary package of care.

Updated 28 December 2016

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 who were at risk, for example, children and young people who had a high number of A&E attendances.

• Immunisation rates were relatively high for all standard childhood immunisations.

• The practice offered an in-house antenatal clinic, run weekly, by a member of the the community midwifery team.

• Six week post-natal mother and baby checks were conducted weekly by a GP.

• Appointments were available outside of school hours and the premises were suitable for children and babies.

• Children under five years of age with acute illnesses were offered an appointment on the day.

• The practice had a link GP who supported families living in a local women and families refuge.

• The practice offered a full family planning service including the fitting of intrauterine devices and implants.

• Meningitis ACWY vaccination was offered to university students.

Updated 28 December 2016

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

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

• The practice was responsive to the needs of older people, and offered home visits and urgent appointments for those with enhanced needs.

• Elderly patients who were house-bound with multiple long term conditions were offered an annual visit from the practice nurse. The patient’s wellbeing was assessed and any potential problems related to physical and mental health as well as problems with medication or social/housing were addressed .

• Patients were invited to attend the surgery for vaccines to prevent illnesses such as the flu and shingles.

Updated 28 December 2016

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.
• 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. Pre-booked appointments were available and released at intervals to prevent some doctors being booked up weeks in advance.
• Telephone consultations were offered where appropriate.
• The Practice offered extended hours until 7.30pm on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays to try and accommodate working people who would otherwise struggle to get to an appointment during the day.

Updated 28 December 2016

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

• The percentage of patients diagnosed with dementia whose care had been reviewed in a face-to-face review in the last 12 months was 75%, which was higher than the CCG average of 74% but lower than the national average of 85%.

• The practice held a register of patients who had been diagnosed with dementia or an enduring mental health illness and offered an annual health review.

• 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 and also patients who had alcohol dependency and who suffered from substance abuse.

Updated 28 December 2016

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 including homeless people, travellers and those with a learning disability.

• The practice offered longer appointments for patients with a learning disability.

• The practice regularly worked with other health care professionals 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. Not all staff however had received up-to-date safeguarding training,

• The practice worked closely with the local refuge for women and families.