Dr RC Rautray's Practice

Background to this inspection

Updated 18 January 2017

Dr RC Rautray’s Practice, also known as Primrose Bank Medical Centre, is housed in a purpose-built two-storey building close to the town centre of Blackburn at Larkhill, Blackburn, BB1 5ER. There is a branch surgery in Ewood at 461 Bolton Road, Ewood, BB2 4HY. The main surgery building was constructed in 1999 and extended in 2006. It provides patient facilities of a waiting area, two treatment rooms and five consulting rooms all on the ground floor.

The main practice provides level access for patients to the building with automated entry doors. There is parking provided at the front and to the side of the building and the practice is close to public transport.

The practice is part of the Blackburn with Darwen Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and services are provided under a Personal Medical Services Contract (PMS). There are three male GP partners and one female salaried GP. There is also one practice nurse. A practice manager, a deputy practice manager and nine administrative and reception staff support the clinical team.

The main practice is open from 8am to 6.30pm every day from Monday to Friday and extended hours are offered on Tuesday from 6.30pm to 8pm and on Wednesday from 6.30pm to 7.30pm. Appointments are available from 8.45am every day except Thursday when they start at 9am and finish at 5.50pm on Mondays and Fridays, 7.50pm on Tuesdays and 7.20pm on Wednesdays. There is no bookable afternoon surgery on a Thursday when appointments finish at 11.35am.

The branch surgery at Ewood is open on Monday and Friday mornings between 8.30am and 12.30pm. When the practice is closed, patients are able to access out of hours services offered locally by the provider East Lancashire Medical Services by telephoning 111.

The practice provides services to 4,872 patients. The practice profile shows patient age distribution is similar to the national profile. There are slightly more patients aged under 18 years of age (24%) compared to the national average of 21% and fewer patients aged over 65 years of age (14%) compared to the national average of 17%.

Information published by Public Health England rates the level of deprivation within the practice population group as two on a scale of one to ten. Level one represents the highest levels of deprivation and level ten the lowest. Both male and female life expectancy is lower than the local and national average, 81 years for females compared to 83 years nationally and 76 years for males compared to 79 years nationally.

Overall inspection

Good

Updated 18 January 2017

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

This is a focused desk top review of evidence supplied by Dr RC Rautray’s Practice, for two areas within the key question safe. The desk top review was conducted on 4 January 2017.

The practice was initially inspected on 30 August 2016. The inspection was a comprehensive inspection under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 (HSCA). At that inspection, the practice was rated ‘good’ overall. However, we found that:

A legionella risk assessment had not been carried out for the main surgery or branch surgery buildings.

Emergency medicines were not sufficient to meet patient needs in the event of an emergency situation such as suspected adult meningitis.
There was no evidence to demonstrate that the equipment for use in the event of an emergency such as the automatic electronic defibrillator (AED) was checked on a regular basis.

There were no processes in place to ensure the safe management of medicines specifically in relation to patient medication alerts received by the practice. The issue of prescription pads to GPs for home visits was not appropriately monitored.

The process for recruiting locum GPs was not thorough enough to ensure that persons providing care or treatment had the qualifications, competence, skills and experience to do so safely.

The practice supplied an action plan and a range of documents which demonstrated they are now meeting the requirements of Regulation 12 Safe care and treatment of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014.

Following this desktop review, we found the practice to be good in providing safe services. Overall, the practice is rated as good.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP)

Chief Inspector of General Practice