Riverside Health Centre

Updated 22 July 2016

Riverside Health Centre is a town centre practice providing care for approximately 11,313 patients in the Bassetlaw Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) area. It provides services from purpose built premises with disabled access and a large car park.

The practice catchment area has been identified as one of the sixth most deprived areas nationally.

In 2013 Riverside Health Centre took over the management of a single handed GP practice in Harworth with 1800 patients. This site is now a branch surgery of the practice.

Riverside Health Centre has five full time GP partners, four male, one female and one part time female salaried GP.

There is one advanced nurse practitioner, a senior nurse lead, four practice nurses and three healthcare assistants. It is a training practice with three GP trainers and is currently training three GP registrars.

The practice and branch surgery are open from 8am to 6.30pm daily.

Extended hours appointments with GPs and nurses are offered on Monday and Thursday evenings from 6.30 to 8pm and Saturday morning from 9am to 11am.

Appointments are offered throughout the day at the two locations. Patients could also request a same day telephone call back from the doctor if required for advice.

All requests for on the day appointments are triaged and the duty GP will call the patient to advise and to arrange to see if appropriate.

Out of hours services are accessed by calling the practice telephone number or NHS 111.

As part of the Care Quality Commission (Registration) Regulations 2009: Regulation 15 we noted GP partners registered with the Care Quality Commission as the partnership did not reflect the GP partners currently at the practice. We were told this would be addressed following the inspection and the appropriate applications and notifications submitted.

Updated 22 July 2016

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Riverside Health Centre on 20 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 registered provider was aware of and complied with the requirements of the duty of candour.

We saw three areas of outstanding practice:

• Three of the GPs had a special interest in substance misuse. The practice held weekly substance misuse clinics, working alongside an outside agency in the management of patients with alcohol or drug dependency.

• The practice employed a Patient Liaison Administrator who supported patients, families and carers with referrals to support services. They were the named contact for these patients and liaised between the support services, the practice, the patient and their families and carers.

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 all had lead roles in long term condition management and patients at risk of hospital admission were identified as a priority.

• The nursing team included specialist nurses in respiratory care and diabetes.

• Performance for diabetes related indicators at 99.8% was higher than the CCG average of 97% and significantly higher than the national average of 89.2%

• 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 comparable to others locally 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 80%, which was comparable to the CCG average of 78% and higher than the national average of 74%.

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

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

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.

• All patients over the age of 75 years had a named GP.

• The practice provided care for patients in 11 care homes. There were named lead clinicians for these patients to provide continuity of care and so the care home staff knew who to speak with if they had any concerns. The lead clinicians conducted regular ward rounds and visited patients in between when requested.

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 telephone consultations for patients who found it difficult to attend during normal working hours and could then be seen if required during extended hours opening. 

• The practice offered Saturday morning appointments for patients who found it difficult to attend during the week.

Updated 22 July 2016

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

• Performance in the mental health indicators at 100% was higher than the CCG average of 95% and the national average of 93%.

• 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.

• Patients experiencing poor mental health had been advised 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.

• Three of the GPs had a special interest in substance misuse. The practice held weekly substance misuse clinics, working alongside an outside agency in the management of patients with alcohol or drug dependency.

• The practice employed a Patient Liaison Administrator who supported patients, families and carers with referrals to support services available. They were the named contact for these patients and liaised between the practice, the patient and their families, carers and outside agencies.

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.

• Patients who were homeless would be triaged on presentation and seen as necessary or signposted to alternative community provision as appropriate.

• There was a named GP lead for patients with a learning disability and the practice offered longer appointments for these patients.

• The practice regularly worked with other health care professionals in the case management of patients whose circumstances could make them vulnerable.

• Patients whose circumstances could make them vulnerable were advised 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.

• The practice managed the local palliative care cover service at the local hospice with two of the GPs who were specialist trained in palliative care.