Dr C M Wilson & Partners

Updated 22 December 2016

Dr C M Wilson & Partners is a partnership GP practice based in central Preston, Lancashire, and falls within the Greater Preston CCG area. The practice patient list size is approximately 13,700 and is made up of a main site – The Healthcare Centre in Flintoff Way, Preston, plus two fully operational branch surgeries, Longsands Medical Centre and Sharoe Green surgery. We inspected the main surgery and visited both branch surgeries as part of our inspection.

The practice has five partners, three male and two female. The practice partners are supported by two salaried GPs (one male and one female) and there is currently a vacancy for a third salaried GP. The practice is a teaching practice hosting GP Registrars.

The practice nursing team is led by an Advanced Nurse Prescriber (ANP), and has two nurses (both female) with a further nurse due to take up post in January 2017. The nursing team are supported by two healthcare assistants (both female).

The practice administrative function is led by a practice director, who is supported by two assistant practice managers. The practice reception and administrative function is delivered by 16 who work a variety of full and part time hours.

All three buildings are fully accessible for disabled patients with car parking available. Patient toilets are available which are fully accessible and have been upgraded to provide baby change facilities. At each site, there is a small, private room available for any mothers who need to breast feed, or for any patients who need more privacy when dealing with matters at the reception desk. The Healthcare Centre is based in a purpose built building that is shared with another, unrelated GP practice.

The branch surgeries at Longsands Medical Centre and Sharoe Green Surgery are open from 8.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, with a half day closure of both branch surgeries on Thursday afternoon from 12.30pm. Patients from either surgery can access appointments at the main Healthcare Centre (Dr C M Wilson & Partners), during normal and extended hours, if this is more convenient. The Healthcare Centre is open from 8am to 6.30pm, Monday to Friday, and offers extended hours surgeries for all patients from 6.30pm to 8.45 pm on Tuesday evening each week and from 8am to 11am each Saturday and Sunday. All services are delivered under a PMS contract.

When the practice is closed, patients ringing the surgery are directed by a phone message to ring NHS 111. Following review of patients, NHS 111 can refer patients to the locally commissioned out of hours service, Go to Doc.

Updated 22 December 2016

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Dr C M Wilson & Partners, also known as the Healthcare Centre, on 24 November 2016. Overall the practice is rated as good.

Our key findings across all the areas we inspected were as follows:

• Staff understood and fulfilled their responsibilities to raise concerns and report incidents and near misses. All opportunities for learning from internal and external incidents were maximised.

• There were systems in place to reduce risks to patient safety. For example, infection control practices were good and there were regular checks on the environment and on equipment used.
• 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.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Updated 22 December 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.

• 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 December 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.

• Performance data from the Quality Outcomes Framework (QOF) showed the practice achievement for delivering cytology to women between the ages of 25 and 65 was in line with the local and national average.

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

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

Updated 22 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 appointments for those with enhanced needs.

• The practice kept up to date registers of patients with a range of health conditions (including conditions common in older people) and used this information to plan reviews of health care and to offer services such as vaccinations for flu and shingles.

• Patients over the age of 75 had a named GP and had received a structured annual review to check that their health needs were being met.

• Care planning was carried out for patients with dementia care needs.

Updated 22 December 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.

• We saw that access for working patients was good, with extended hours surgeries offered each week on Tuesday evening and at weekends on Saturday and Sunday mornings.

Updated 22 December 2016

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

• 82% 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 national and local averages.

• The practice regularly worked with multi-disciplinary teams in the case management of patients experiencing poor mental health, including those with dementia.

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

• The practice had 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 dementia.

Updated 22 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 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.