Ecclesfield Group Practice

Updated 10 March 2016

Ecclesfield Group Practice is located in Ecclesfield, Sheffield and accepts patients from Ecclesfield, Parson Cross and Chapeltown. The practice has a branch site at Parson Cross named Margetson Surgery. Patients can access appointments at both practices. The practice also participates in the Extending Choice directed enhanced service and has 140 patients registered at the practice who live outside of the catchment area. The practice catchment area is classed as within the group of the fourth most deprived areas in England.

The practice provides General Medical Services (GMS) under a contract with NHS England for 7712 patients in the NHS Sheffield Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) area. They also offer a range of enhanced services such as INR Warfarin monitoring, joint injections, reversible contraceptive implantation and childhood vaccination and immunisations. The practice also provided a 24 hour ECG service and carpal tunnel injections to registered patients and to patients of other practices in the locality.

Ecclesfield Group Practice has six GP partners (four female, two male), one female salaried GP, two female nurse practitioners, three female practice nurses, one female healthcare assistant (HCA) and one female phlebotomist. These are supported by a business manager, practice manager and an experienced team of reception and administration staff. The practice is a training practice for medical students.

The main practice is open between 8.30am and 6.30pm Monday to Friday with the exception of Thursdays when the practices closes at 1pm and Friday when the practice closes at 6pm. GP appointments are offered between 8.45am and 11.45am and 3.15pm and 5.45pm Monday to Friday and clinical appointments are available with the nursing staff throughout the day when the practice is open. The practice operates a same day appointment system for urgent problems through a GP/nurse telephone call back triage system. Extended hours are offered on Wednesday evenings between 6.30pm and 7.30pm and Saturday mornings 8.45am to 11am.

The branch practice is open 8.30am to 5pm Monday, Wednesday and Friday and 8.30am to 1pm Tuesday and Thursdays.

When the practice is closed between 6.30pm and 8am patients are directed to contact the NHS 111 service. The Sheffield GP Collaborative provides cover when the practice is closed between 8am - 8.30am and 6.00pm - 6.30pm. Patients are informed of this when they telephone the practice number. The practice and the branch site have a shared telephone system.

The practice is registered to provide the following regulated activities: treatment of disease, disorder or injury, diagnostic and screening procedures, maternity and midwifery services and family planning.

Updated 10 March 2016

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Ecclesfield Group Practice and the branch site named Margetson Surgery on 19 January 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, recording and learning from 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 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.
• Patients said they found it easy to make an urgent appointment through the telephone triage system with 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 had developed a social media website page to communicate and promote its services to patients.

The areas where the provider should make improvement are:

• The practice should ensure flooring in clinical areas where treatments are carried out is seamless and smooth, slip-resistant, easily cleaned and appropriately wear-resistant.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Updated 10 March 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.

• The practice offered patients with multiple long term conditions one extended appointment during which all their conditions would be reviewed.

• 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. For example, the diabetic specialist nurses.

• The practice facilitated a community COPD clinic run by the specialist nurses at the branch site for patients of the practice and surrounding area. They also hosted a health care trainer who supported patients with health promotion.

Updated 10 March 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.

• Data showed 77% of patients diagnosed with asthma had received an asthma review in the previous 12 months compared to the national average of 75%.

• 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.

• Data showed 97% of women eligible for a cervical screening test had received one in the previous five years compared to the national average of 81%.

• Appointments were available outside of school hours and the premises were suitable for children and babies.

• The practice had developed a social media website page to communicate and promote services to patients.

• There was a notice board in the reception area dedicated to children and young people which included health promotion information and relevant sign posting to services, for example, information on the Sheffield breast feeding service and we saw notices in the patient toilets on how to access help and advice on sensitive issues, for example, domestic abuse.

• We saw positive examples of joint working with midwives and health visitors.

Updated 10 March 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 provided enhanced care to patients who resided in two local care homes. This included a weekly GP session at the home. 

• The percentage of people aged 65 or over who received a seasonal flu vaccination was 82%, higher than the national average of 73%.

Updated 10 March 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 offered evening and weekend appointments at the practice and also through the Sheffield satellite clinic scheme at a local practice.

• The practice offered appointments with an occupational health adviser and was proactive in offering online services as well as a full range of health promotion and screening that reflected the needs for this age group.

Updated 10 March 2016

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

• Of those patients diagnosed with dementia, 87% had had their care reviewed in a face to face meeting in the last 12 months, which is above the national average of 84%.

• The practice regularly worked with multidisciplinary teams in the case management of people experiencing poor mental health, including those living with dementia.

• The practice carried out advance care planning for patients living with dementia.

• The practice had told patients experiencing poor mental health about how to access various support groups and voluntary organisations.

• Staff had a good understanding of how to support patients with mental health needs and dementia.

• The practice also hosted Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme (IAPT) and held regular meetings with the IAPT team to support patients’ needs.

Updated 10 March 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 multidisciplinary teams in the case management of people whose circumstances may make them vulnerable and informed them about how to access various support groups and voluntary organisations.

• Staff knew how to recognise signs of abuse in 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.