Hazelwood Group Practice

Updated 12 September 2016

Hazelwood Group Practice is located in Coleshill, a town on the Warwickshire and West Midlands border. It is a group practice which provides primary medical services to patients in a semi-urban area. It was established in 1974 and has expanded considerably since.

The practice had 10,034 patients registered at the time of our inspection. Most patients speak English as a first language. It has a General Medical Services (GMS) contract with NHS England. The GMS contract is the contract between general practices and NHS England for delivering primary care services to local communities. The practice is a member of a local GP federation, a group of practices that work together and share ideas to improve patient care. The practice also has a dispensary for use by patients.

Hazelwood Group Practice has four GP partners (a mix of male and female) and two physicians associates who are specially trained to support clinical staff in their duties. There are also four practice nurses and two healthcare assistants. They are supported by a practice manager and administrative and reception staff. The practice dispensary has its own dedicated staff.

The practice is open from 8am to 1pm and from 2pm until 6pm during the week. Appointments are available from 8.15am to 12.15pm and from 2pm to 5.15pm. Phone lines are open until 6.30pm and there is a duty GP available throughout the day from 8am to 6.30pm. Most patients are tri-aged by a GP over the telephone before an appointment is made. The practice offers extended hours opening on Tuesdays until 7.30pm and on Saturdays from 8.30am to 12.15pm. When the practice is closed, patients can access out of hours care provided by Care UK through NHS 111. This is based at George Eliot Hospital in Nuneaton. The practice has a recorded message on its telephone system to advise patients how to access the out of hours service. This information is also available on the practice’s website.

Home visits are available for patients who are unable to attend the practice for appointments. There is also an online service which allows patients to order repeat prescriptions and book new appointments without having to telephone the practice. Telephone appointments are available for patients who are unable to reach the practice during normal working hours.

The practice also cares for patients at two local care homes which GPs visit weekly and also respond to urgent heath care needs when required.

The practice is also an approved training practice for doctors who wish to be become GPs. A GP trainee is a qualified doctor who is training to become a GP through a period of working and training in a practice. Only approved training practices can employ GP trainees and the practice must have at least one approved GP trainer.

The practice treats patients of all ages and provides a range of medical services. This includes minor surgery and disease management such as asthma, diabetes and heart disease. Other appointments are available for minor surgery, blood tests, insulin initiation, family planning, post-natal follow up and smoking cessation amongst others.

Updated 12 September 2016

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Hazelwood Group Practice

on 18 July 2016. Overall the practice is rated as good.

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

• Patients told us they were treated with dignity, respect and compassion. Patients were involved in decisions about their care and treatment.
• The practice reviewed the needs of the local population and made appropriate changes when necessary. For example, changes to the appointment system were made in order to make more same day appointments available.
• Processes and procedures were in place to ensure patients were safe. This included an appropriate system for reporting and recording significant events. They were fully reviewed at every staff meeting.
• Patients’ needs were assessed and care delivered in line with current guidelines. Staff had the appropriate skills, knowledge and experience to deliver effective care and treatment.
• Information about how to complain was available and easy to understand. The practice received very few complaints from patients and reviewed complaints to ensure lessons learned were not repeated.
• Risks to patients were assessed and well managed.

However there were areas of practice where the provider should make improvements:

• Keep copies of the Business Continuity Plan off-site.

• The practice should review personnel files to ensure they contain the information required under current legislation.

• The practice should review information available to patients to ensure it is accurate.

• The practice should ensure easy to understand and accessible information about services is available for patients.

Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Updated 12 September 2016

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

• Nursing staff had received appropriate training in chronic disease management, for example asthma and diabetes.

• Patients had a named GP and a review every six to 12 months to monitor their condition and ensure they received correct medicines. The frequency of the review depended on the severity of the patient’s condition. The practice had developed its own system for managing these appointments.

• All patients with a long term condition had a condition management plan which was reviewed annually.

• Longer appointments and home visits were available for patients with long term conditions when needed.

Updated 12 September 2016

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

• Systems were in place to identify children and young people who might be at risk, for example, those who had a high number of A&E attendances.

• Initial appointments with the midwife had been re-introduced to the practice following a move to the local children’s centre. Follow-up appointments were still held at the children’s centre, but the change made it easier for patients to be introduced to the midwife.

• The practice worked closely with the local health visitor team.

• A total of 86% of eligible patients had received cervical screening in the last 12 months. This was above the national average of 82%.

• Appointments were available outside of school hours and the practice building was suitable for children and babies.

• Outcomes for areas such as child vaccinations were mostly above average for the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).

• A full range of family planning services was available.

Updated 12 September 2016

The practice is rated as good for the care of older people.

• Older patients were given personalised care which reflected their needs. The practice recognised the local population was increasing in average age.

• Elderly and frail patients were prioritised for same day appointments.

• The practice had not considered the system in place to review and support people’s care needs following discharge from hospital.

• The practice closely monitored patients who received multiple medicines and those who lived in care homes. This included falls prevention advice in the latter.

• GPs visited two local care homes weekly and responded to urgent medical needs when required.

• Home visits were offered to patients who could not reach the practice.

• Nationally reported data showed that outcomes for patients were good for conditions commonly found in older people.

Updated 12 September 2016

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

• The practice ensured it provided services to meet the needs of the working age population, For example, extended hours appointments and telephone consultations were available for patients who were unable to reach the practice during the day.

• Appointments could be booked and repeat prescriptions requested on-line.

• Health checks for patients within this population group were actively promoted

• A full range of services appropriate to this age group was offered, including family planning, smoking cessation and travel vaccinations.

Updated 12 September 2016

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

• Staff we spoke with demonstrated they had a good working knowledge of how to support patients with mental health needs and dementia.

• A carer support plan was used to offer carers both physical and psychological support.

• The practice worked with multi-disciplinary teams to provide appropriate care for patients with poor mental health. This included patients with dementia.

• Patients who were diagnosed with depression received a follow up from a GP within eight weeks of diagnosis.

• Patients were signposted to appropriate local and national support groups.

Updated 12 September 2016

The practice is rated as good for the care of people whose circumstances may make them vulnerable.

• There was a register of vulnerable patients including those with a learning disability.

• Longer appointments were available for patients with a learning disability or if other care needs required it.

• Staff could recognise signs of abuse in vulnerable adults and children. Staff were aware of their responsibilities to share appropriate information, record safeguarding concerns and how to contact relevant agencies in normal working hours and out of hours.

• The practice closely monitored patients who received multiple medicines and those who lived in local learning disability homes.

• The practice supported vulnerable patients to access various support groups and voluntary organisations.

• The practice worked with other health care professionals to provide care to vulnerable patients, for example, the district nursing team.