Archived: Kirkholt Medical Practice

Updated 25 May 2016

Kirkholt Medical Practice provides primary medical services in Rochdale from Monday to Friday. The practice is open between 8am and 6.30pm Monday, Wednesday and Friday and between 8am and 7.30pm Tuesday and Thursday. Extended hours are offered between 9.30am and 12.30am on Saturday. The first appointment of the day is 8.45am Monday to Friday and 9.30am on Saturday.

Kirkholt Medical Practice is situated within the geographical area of Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale Commissioning Group (CCG).

The practice has an Alternative Primary Medical Services (APMS) contract. The APMS contract is the contract between general practices and NHS England for delivering primary care services to local communities.

Kirkholt Medical Practice is responsible for providing care to 2477 patients.

The practice consists of one male GP and one long term female locum GP, a practice nurse and a health care assistant. The practice is supported by a practice manager and an administration and reception team.

When the practice is closed patients were directed to the out of hour’s service.

Updated 25 May 2016

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Kirkholt Medical Practice on 19 April 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 been trained to provide them with the skills, knowledge and experience to deliver effective care and treatment.
• All staff employed by the practice had received a disclosure and barring check (DBS check). (DBS checks identify whether a person has a criminal record or is on an official list of people barred from working in roles where they may have contact with children or adults who may be vulnerable).
• 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 named 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 practice were part of a larger not for profit organisation called GTD Healthcare.

We saw one area of outstanding practice:

The practice had proactive contact with patients with poor memory to remind them of their appointments by text or telephone.

Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGPChief Inspector of General Practice

Updated 25 May 2016

The practice is rated as good for the care of people 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.
• 94% of diabetic patients had a record of having had a foot examination and risk classification within the preceding twelve months compared to the national average of 88%.
• Longer appointments and home visits were available when needed.
• All these patients 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 25 May 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.
• Patients told us that children and young people were treated in an age-appropriate way and were recognised as individuals, and we saw evidence to confirm this.
• 81% of women aged between 25 and 64 had their notes recorded that a cervical screening test had been performed in the preceding five years which was the same as the national average of 81%.
• 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.
• The practice had a room available to welcome breast feeding mothers.
• A full contraceptive service was available including the fitting of coils and implants.

Updated 25 May 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.
• All patients over the age of 75 had a named GP.
• Patients were offered general health checks and advice and vaccinations appropriate for the age group such as memory screening, bowel and prostate screening, DEXA scans, which is a type of x-ray that measures bone density to assess the risk of osteoporosis, and flu and pneumococcal vaccinations.
• The practice embraced the Gold Standards Framework for end of life care. This included supporting patients’ choice to receive end of life care at home.

Updated 25 May 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.
• The practice offered longer opening hours including Saturday mornings for those patients that could not attend during the normal working day.
• Telephone consultations were offered to patients that could not attend the surgery.
• The practice offered advice, information, support and onward referral for smoking cessation, weight management, alcohol and drug misuse.

Updated 25 May 2016

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

• 100% of patients diagnosed with dementia had their care reviewed in a face to face meeting in the last 12 months, which is above the national average of 88%
• 90% of patients with schizophrenia, bipolar affective disorder and other psychoses had a comprehensive, agreed care plan documented in their record in the preceding 12 months is comparable with the national average of 89%.
• 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.

• Patients with poor memory were offered a text or telephone call prior to their appointment to remind them of this.

Updated 25 May 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, asylum seekers, military veterans 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.
• All patients had a personalised care plan in place in conjunction with the specialist servicers.
• 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.