Sothall Medical Centre Also known as Dr Bowers & Partners

Updated 14 December 2016

Sothall and Beighton Medical Practice has a main surgery at Sothall and a branch surgery at Beighton.

• Sothall Medical Centre, 24 Eckington Road, Sheffield, S20 1   HQ.

• Beighton Health Centre, Queens Road, Sheffield, S20 1BJ.

The practice provides general medical services for 10,339 patients. It is also contracted to provide other enhanced services, for example: for patients with learning disabilities, minor surgery and shingles immunisation. The practice population of Sothall and Beighton live in one of the lesser deprived area according to the National Census Data in 2011.

The Both the practice and the branch are located in a residential area on the outskirts of Sheffield.

There are five GP partners (four female and one male), a pharmacist, and a physician’s associate. There are two practice nurses, two healthcare assistants and a phlebotomist. Who are supported by a practice manager, assistant practice manager, a business manager, and eight reception and eight administration staff.

Sothall practice opening hours are Monday, Tuesday Wednesday and Friday from 7.30am to 12.30pm and from 1.30pm to 6pm, with the exception of Tuesday where the surgery opens later at 8am because it offers with extended hours until 8pm. On Thursday, the practice is open from 7.30am to12.30am. Beighton Practiceopens for less hours, offers appointments are available on a Monday and Thursday afternoon. 

Patients can make appointments by telephone and in person. Appointments can be requested the same day or pre-bookable appointments are available one week in advance. The practice operates a telephone triage system, for patients who want a same day appointment and call the practice between 8.30am and 10.30am.

The practice is part in the Prime Minister’s GP Access Fund and offers an out of hours service with other services at a nearby practice from 6.30pm to 10pm Monday to Friday and 10am to 6pm on Saturday and Sunday. For all other times the patients can use the 111 service.

The practice has Primary Medical Services (PMS) contract in the NHS Sheffield Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) area. The PMS contract is the contract between general practices and NHS England for delivering primary care services to local communities.

Updated 14 December 2016

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Sothall and Beighton Medical Practice on 12 October 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.
• 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.
• The practice had implemented a business plan and the staff planned to review the present appointment system to see how the practice can improve availability and access.
• 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 staff were aware of and complied with the requirements of the duty of candour.

The areas where the provider should make improvement are:

• Make sure patients can access information relating to how to complain on the practice website and in the waiting room.

• Continue to monitor and review the appointments system to ensure it meets patients’ needs.

• The defibrillator at the Sothall practice did not have paediatric pads.

• The practice had identified only 50 patients as carers . The provider should review processes to ensure that patients who are carers are identified.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Updated 14 December 2016

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

• 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.

• GPs followed person centred care planning (PCCP) approach for patients with diabetes to ensure the patient’s full needs were met.

• The GPs involved patients in their care and invited patients with diabetes to a meeting to hear their views and share their experiences.

• A lead GP and a health trainer offered supported to patients with long-term pain. As a result, a significant number of patients had attended a weekly swimming group.

• Patients with diabetes that had an influenza immunisation was 98% compared with a CCG average of  96% and the national average of 94%.

• Longer appointments and home visits were available when needed.

Updated 14 December 2016

The practice is rated as good for the care of families, children and young people.

• 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 89% and the national average of 81.8%.

• Appointments were available outside of school hours everyday at the Sothall Practice and both the premises were suitable for children and babies.

• Acutely ill children were prioritised for appointments.

• We saw positive examples of joint working with health visitors and  Improving Access to Psychological services (IAPT).

Updated 14 December 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 and longer appointments for those with enhanced needs.

• The practice held monthly meetings to discuss the patient’s needs and to help reduce admissions to hospital. The meetings included a wide range of health care professionals, from the wider primary care team,   . For example, health care support workers, therapy assistants, and representatives from Age UK.

Updated 14 December 2016

The practice is rated as good for the care of working-age people (including those recently retired and students).

• The practice had adjusted the services it offered to ensure these were accessible, flexible and offered continuity of care. The practice had appointments available from 7.30am most a mornings and up to 8pm one evening a week to ensure accessibility for working people.

• 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 NHS health checks for the over 40’s.

Updated 14 December 2016

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

• 100% of patients with a mental health problem had a comprehensive, agreed care plan documented in the last 12 months. This was significantly better than the CCG average of 90% 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 living with dementia.

• Patients had access to IAPT psychological services in the practice. (Improving Access to Psychological services).

Updated 14 December 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.