Goodcare Practice

Updated 5 October 2016

Goodcare Practice is based at Grand Union Village Centre, Taywood Road, Northolt, Ealing, UB5 6WL where it shares facilities with three other GP practices, community services and a pharmacy. The practice provides primary medical services through a General Medical Services (GMS) contract to approximately 6,400 patients (GMS is one of the three contracting routes that have been made available to enable commissioning of primary care services). The practice is part of the NHS Ealing Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) which comprises 79 GP practices.

The practice is registered with the Care Quality Commission to provide the following regulated activities; diagnostic and screening procedures; maternity and midwifery services; surgical procedures and treatment of disease, disorder or injury.

The ethnicity of the practice population is of mixed origin with a significantly higher than average number of people 25-44 years of age and children under 14 years of age. Life expectancy is 78 years for males and 83 years for females which is similar to national averages. The local area is the fifth most deprived in the London Borough of Ealing (people living in more deprived areas tend to have greater need for health services).

The practice team consists of a male GP partner (eight sessions), a female GP partner (eight sessions), a regular locum GP (five sessions), a practice nurse, two healthcare assistants, phlebotomist and a practice manager who is supported by a team of reception / administration staff. The male GP partner has a special interest in paediatrics and minor surgery and the female GP partner a special interest in gynaecology and family planning.

The practice’s opening hours are Monday to Friday 8:30am to 6:30pm. Appointments are from 8:30am to 12:30pm every morning and 2:00pm to 6:00pm daily. Extended hours appointments are available on Monday and Tuesday until 8:00pm. Patients can access out of hours care through the NHS 111 service.

Services provided include chronic disease management, family planning, immunisations, minor surgery and wound care, maternity and child health, sexual health, phlebotomy (including children 2-16 years), smoking cessation and travel vaccinations.

Updated 5 October 2016

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Goodcare Practice on 30 August 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:

• Consider ways to reduce Quality and Outcomes Framework exception reporting to bring in line with local averages.

• Consider ways of identifying more patients who are carers.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Updated 5 October 2016

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

• Nursing staff supported the GPs in chronic disease management and patients at risk of hospital admission were identified as a priority.
• Performance for diabetes related indicators was 100% with 17% exception reporting (CCG average 12%). The partners told us they would look at ways to lower exception reporting to bring in line with CCG averages.
• 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 5 October 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 comparable to others 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.
• The practice’s uptake for the cervical screening programme was 82%, which was comparable to the CCG average of 78% 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, health visitors and school nurses.
• The practice registered patients from a local care home for vulnerable children.
• A ‘one stop shop’ clinic for mother and babies was provided monthly, where 6-8 weeks baby check and first immunisations were carried out.

Updated 5 October 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.

Updated 5 October 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.

Updated 5 October 2016

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

• 83% of patients diagnosed with dementia had had their care reviewed in a face to face meeting in the last 12 months, which was comparable to the CCG average of 88% and the national average of 84%.
• 92% of patients with schizophrenia, bipolar affective disorder and other psychoses had had a comprehensive, agreed care plan documented in the record, in the preceding 12 months which was comparable to the CCG average of 91% and the national average of 88%.
• 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.

Updated 5 October 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 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.