Woodley Village Surgery

Updated 19 July 2017

Woodley Village Surgery, 1st Floor, Woodley Health Centre, Hyde Road, Woodley, Stockport is part of the NHS Stockport Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG). Services are provided under a general medical service (GMS) contract with NHS England. The practice has approximately 3424 patients on their register.

The practice building is a modern building maintained by NHS Property Services. The practice is located on the first floor. There are also three other GP practices located on the first floor. Patients can access the first floor via the passenger lift. A hearing loop to assist people with hearing impairment is available. Limited car parking is available at the practice, but additional parking is available close by.

The practice is registered to one male GP. The practice employs a part time salaried female GP, a male locum GP, a practice manager who is also the practice health care assistant, and three reception staff. The practice had recently employed a practice nurse who had not commenced employment; however the practice used regular locum practice nurses in the interim.

The practice reception is open from 8am until 6.30pm Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday; and from 8am until 5.30pm on Wednesdays. Surgery telephone lines are closed on Wednesday afternoon although the practice reception is open. Early morning appointments are also available on Wednesday morning between 7am and 8am with the GP and health care assistant.

When the practice is closed patients are asked to contact NHS 111 for Out of Hours GP care.

The practice provides online access that allows patients to book appointments and order prescriptions.

Information published by Public Health England rates the level of deprivation within the practice population group as 6 on a scale of one to ten. Level one represents the highest levels of deprivation and level ten the lowest. The average male life expectancy in the practice geographical area is 79 years and is reflective of both the England and CCG averages. Female life expectancy is 82 years which is below the CCG and England average of 83 years.

Updated 19 July 2017

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Woodley Village Surgery on 6 June 2017.

The practice had undergone changes in its registration and the current GP single provider took over the leadership and management at the practice in September 2015. However the data referred to in this report for the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) refers to data collected and collated between April 2015 and March 2016. Data for the GP patient survey is from between July 2015 and March 2016. This was a period of significant change at the practice.

Overall the practice is rated as good.

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

• The practice had a strong vision, which put working with patients to ensure high quality care and treatment as its top priority.
• The strategy to deliver this vision had been produced with stakeholders and was regularly reviewed and discussed with staff.
• There was a clear leadership structure and staff felt supported by management. The practice had undergone a period of change which had resulted in improved services for patients. The practice proactively sought feedback from staff and patients, which it acted on.
• The GP ensured all staff were supported to develop their skills and abilities and undertook a quarterly analysis of the different aspects of the service provided. Action was implemented to ensure improvements were undertaken. As a result, all business and clinical matters were delivered effectively at the practice.
• The practice had clearly defined and embedded systems to minimise risks to patient safety. The culture of the practice had changed so that there was an open and transparent approach to safety and a system in place for reporting and recording significant events.
• The practice was committed to evidence based practice to improve the quality of care and treatment. Clinical auditing was based on up to date guidance and research to reflect innovation and the changing clinical needs of patients.
• Staff had been trained to provide them with the skills and knowledge to deliver effective care and treatment.
• Information about services and how to complain was available. Improvements were made to the quality of care as a result of complaints and concerns.
• Patients we spoke with said they found it easy to make an appointment with a named GP and there was continuity of care. The practice had reviewed its appointment system. The improvements undertaken had reduced the waiting time for a routine appointment from up to four weeks to between one and three days.
• The practice had an active patient participation group (PPG) who were supported and encouraged to participate in the development and improvement of the practice.
• The practice had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs.
• The GP was aware of the requirements of the duty of candour. Examples we reviewed showed the practice complied with these requirements.

The area where the provider should make improvement included:

• Continued implementation of the planned programme to identify those patients who were also a carer.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Updated 19 July 2017

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

• The practice was in the process of recruiting a permanent practice nurse. The GP, supported by the health care assistant reviewed and monitored patients with a long-term disease and those at risk of hospital admission were identified as a priority.
• The practice achieved higher or similar percentages for the diabetes indicators outlined in the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) for 2015/16 when compared to local and national averages. However exception reporting (removal of patients from the total) was also much higher than local and national averages. Please note this data is from a period where the GP was not in post for the whole of the 12 month period. Therefore the data results are not a true reflection of the GP’s performance.
• The practice followed up on patients with long-term conditions discharged from hospital and ensured that care records were updated to reflect any additional needs.
• Data provided by the GP showed a continuous reduction in the number of patients with a long term health condition attending emergency departments from when the GP took over the surgery in September 2015 to March 2017.
• There were emergency processes for patients with long-term conditions who experienced a sudden deterioration in health.
• All these patients had a named GP and there was a system to recall patients for 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 19 July 2017

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

• From the sample of documented examples we reviewed we found there were systems 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 accident and emergency (A&E) attendances.
• Data from 2015/16 indicated that immunisation rates were similar to the local average for all standard childhood immunisations.
• Quality and Outcome Framework (QOF) 2015/16 data showed that 81% of patients with asthma on the register had an asthma review in the preceding 12 months compared to the local and England average of 75%. However the practice had a high rate of exception reporting at 23% compared to the local average of 4% and the England average 8%.
• The practice’s uptake for the cervical screening programme at 79% was lower than the local and the national average of 82%. The practice had recently employed a female salaried GP to improve this.
• Appointments were available outside of school hours and the premises were suitable for children and babies.
• The practice worked with midwives, health visitors and school nurses to support this population group. For example, in the provision of ante-natal, post-natal and child health surveillance clinics.
• The practice had emergency processes for acutely ill children and young people and for acute pregnancy complications.

Updated 19 July 2017

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

• Staff were able to recognise the signs of abuse in older patients and knew how to escalate any concerns.
• 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.
• The practice identified at an early stage those older patients who may need palliative care as they were approaching the end of life. It involved older patients in planning and making decisions about their care, including their end of life care.
• Planned weekly telephone calls to the local care home were undertaken by the GP to monitor their patients’ health and wellbeing. This provided continuity of care.
• The practice followed up on older patients discharged from hospital and ensured that their care plans were updated to reflect any extra needs.
• The GP had introduced a ‘Health Passport’ for patients considered at high risk of admission to hospital or those who had multiple health care needs.

Updated 19 July 2017

The practice is rated as good for the care of working age people (including those recently retired and students).

• The needs of these populations 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 offered flexible surgery times including, morning, afternoon and evening surgeries. Early morning appointments were available between 7 and 8am on Wednesdays.
• The GP had also introduced telephone appointments.
• 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.

Updated 19 July 2017

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

• Patients at risk of dementia were identified and offered an assessment.
• 100% of patients diagnosed with dementia had had their care reviewed in a face to face meeting in the last 12 months, which was higher than the CCG average of 85% and the England average of 84%. Exception reporting was lower and reflected the CCG and England averages.
• The practice specifically considered the physical health needs of patients with poor mental health and dementia.
• The practice had a system for monitoring repeat prescribing for patients receiving medicines for mental health needs.
• 100% of patients with schizophrenia, bipolar affective disorder and other psychoses had a comprehensive, agreed care plan recorded in the preceding 12 months, which was higher than the CCG average of 92% and similar to the England average of 89%.
• The practice regularly worked with multi-disciplinary teams in the case management of patients experiencing poor mental health, including those living with dementia.
• The practice had information available for patients experiencing poor mental health about how they could access various support groups and voluntary organisations.
• The practice had a system to follow up patients who had attended accident and emergency where they may have been experiencing poor mental health.

Updated 19 July 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 including homeless people and those with a learning disability.
• End of life care was delivered in a coordinated way which took into account the needs of those whose circumstances may make them vulnerable.
• 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 had information available for vulnerable patients about how to access various support groups and voluntary organisations.
• Staff interviewed knew how to recognise signs of abuse in children, young people and adults whose circumstances may make them vulnerable. They 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.