Richmond Medical Centre

Updated 22 July 2016

Richmond Medical Centre is situated in Sheffield city centre. The practice provides services for 8,300 patients under the terms of the NHS Personal Medical Services contract. The practice catchment area is classed as within the group of the second more deprived areas in England. The age profile of the practice population is similar to other GP practices in the Sheffield Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) area.

The practice has four GP partners (two female and two male), four salaried GPs (three female and one male), one nurse practitioner, three practice nurses and three healthcare assistants. They are supported by a team of practice management staff and an administration team. The practice opening hours are  8am to 6pm weekdays except Thursdays where they close between 12 and 3pm.    Appointments with staff are available at various times throughout the day. Extended hours are offered on Monday evenings until 8pm, Thursday mornings from 7am and every other Saturday by appointment. Patients requesting same day appointments are triaged over the telephone by a GP and offered a face to face appointment if required. Richmond Medical Centre is a GP training practice.

When the practice is closed calls were answered by the out-of-hours service which is accessed via the surgery telephone number or by calling the NHS 111 service

Updated 22 July 2016

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Richmond Medical Centre on 15 June 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.

We saw one area of outstanding practice:

• The practice used a number of proactive methods to engage and support their local community. For example, in order to encourage patients to improve their health, the practice had run a series of health promotion open days using the local church premises to promote healthy eating, smoking cessation and physical activity. The practice had also worked alongside their local Sure Start centre to develop and enhance local services for families and children.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Updated 22 July 2016

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

• Nursing staff had lead roles in long term chronic disease condition management and patients at risk of hospital admission were identified as a priority.
• Performance for diabetes related indicators was better than the CCG and national averages. For example, the percentage of patients with diabetes, on the register, in whom the last blood pressure reading was within normal limits was 87% (CCG average, 76%; national average, 78%).
• 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 22 July 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 81%, which was below the CCG average of 89% although the same as the national average of 81%. There was a policy to offer telephone reminders for patients who did not attend for their cervical screening test.
• 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 and the practice had actively engaged with the local Sure Start centre to enhance services for families and children.

Updated 22 July 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 had arranged training for carers at the local care home  to improve care and compliance for those patients using inhalers for lung conditions.

Updated 22 July 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 on day access to GP telephone advice for anyone who requested it, where possible with the doctor of their choice.

Updated 22 July 2016

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

• 88% of patients diagnosed with dementia had their care reviewed in a face to face meeting in the last 12 months, which is comparable to the CCG average of 86% and the national average of 84%.
• Performance for mental health related indicators was better than the CCG and national averages. For example, the percentage of patients with schizophrenia, bipolar affective disorder and other psychoses who have a comprehensive, agreed care plan documented in the record in the preceding 12 months was 97% (CCG average, 90%; national average, 88%).
• 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 carried out advance care planning for patients living with dementia.
• The practice had advised 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 those living with dementia.

Updated 22 July 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.