Premier Medical Centre

Updated 15 June 2016

The Premier Medical Centre operates from 116 Chaplin Road, Wembley, Brent HA0 4UZ. The premises are in a purpose built building co-locating with four other GP practices. The practice provides NHS services through a General Medical Services (GMS) contract to 5600 patients. It is part of the NHS Brent Clinical Commissioning group (CCG) within the Kingsbury and Willesden locality. There was on site patient parking, with easy access to public transport.

The practice’s clinical staff comprises of three GP partners (one female and two male) providing one whole time equivalent (nine sessions) and two partners working part time (six sessions), one salaried GP (female) providing six sessions, two long term locum GPs (one male and one female) providing seven sessions. There is a practice nurse who works (20 hours) and a health care assistant who works (33 hours). The practice’s administrative team is made up of a practice manager, five receptionists and a volunteer. The Premier Medical Centre is an accredited training practice for GP trainees and Foundation Years doctors.

The practice is open between 8.30am to 1.30pm and 3.00pm to 6.30pm Monday to Friday, except Wednesday when it is open 8.30am to 1.00pm. Appointments for the GPs are from 8.30am to 11.00am every morning, except Friday 8.30am to 11.30am. Afternoon appointments are from 3.30pm to 7.30pm on Monday, 3.30pm to 6.00pm Tuesday and Friday, and Thursday 3.30pm to 7.00pm. An extra session was offered on alternate Wednesday’s from 3.30pm to 6.00pm. Extended hours appointments are offered from 6.30pm to 7.30pm on Monday, 6.30pm to 7.00pm on Thursday and 10.00am to 12.00pm on Saturday morning.

Appointments can be pre booked up to six weeks in advance. The practice offers telephone consultations and home visits are available and need to be requested by phone before 10.00am. The practice has opted out of providing an out-of-hours service. Patients calling the practice when it is closed are informed about the NHS 111 service and details of the local out-of-hours service provider. Information is provided on the practice website regarding the NHS 111 service.

The patient profile for the practice indicates a population of working age people comparable to the national average, with a higher proportion of younger adults in the 25 to 34 age range. There are a smaller proportion of children and young people but fewer older people in the area compared to the national average.

Regulated activities the practice is registered for include family planning; surgical procedures; treatment of disease, disorder or injury; diagnostic and screening procedures and maternity and midwifery services.

Updated 15 June 2016

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Premier Medical Centre on 3 March 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.
• 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 areas where the provider should make improvement are:

Ensure a system to improve the identification of carers from the practice list.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Updated 15 June 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.

• 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.

• Performance for diabetes related indicators was above clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and national averages. For example, 85% of patients had well-controlled diabetes, indicated by specific blood test results, compared to the CCG average of 74% and the national average of 78%.

• There was a GP lead for diabetes that held monthly clinics.

Updated 15 June 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.

• The practice’s uptake for the cervical screening programme was 83%, which was comparable to the CCG average of 82% and the national average of 82%.

• 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 and health visitors.

Updated 15 June 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.

• The practice worked closely with the STARRS (rapid response team) to manage patients at home to prevent avoidable admissions to hospital.

• All patients over 75 had a named GP.

• The practice held a monthly multi-disciplinary team (MDT) meeting to review patients and ensure a co-ordinated approach to care.

Updated 15 June 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 used text messaging to communicate with patients.

• The practice offered extended evening and alternate Saturday morning pre-bookable appointments for working age people.

Updated 15 June 2016

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

• 97% of patients diagnosed with dementia that had their care reviewed in a face to face meeting in the last 12months, which is comparable to the national average. 

• The practice regularly worked with multi-disciplinary teams in the case management of patients experiencing poor mental health, including those 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 15 June 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 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.