Background to this inspection
Updated
11 April 2018
Brandon Medical Practice is situated in Brandon, Suffolk. The practice provides services for approximately 5,600 patients and operates from three separate buildings in one location: a purpose built surgery, a wooden lodge and a former house. The house is used as the administrative base for the practice and both ground and upper floors are utilised whereas the two clinical practice buildings operate over one floor. The practice holds a Personal Medical Services (PMS) contract.
The practice is part of the Suffolk Primary Care, a partnership of 11 GP practices in Suffolk.
The practice has two GP partners (one female and one male). The clinical team includes two nurses, an emergency care practitioner, and a healthcare assistant. The practice employs a practice manager, an assistant practice manager, and a practice secretary. A team of reception staff are also employed at the practice.
Information obtained from Public Health England in 2017 shows that the patient population has a lower number of patients from the ages of zero to 49 compared to the England average. The practice has a higher number of patients aged 60 and over compared to the England average. The practice is located within an area of medium deprivation.
The practice is open between 8am to 6.30pm Monday to Friday. Appointments with GPs and nurses are from 8.50am to 12.30pm every morning and from 2pm to 4.10pm every afternoon. A duty doctor is available all day and provides appointments from 11am to 1.10pm and from 3.30pm to 5.50pm.
Extended appointment hours are provided by the practice one Saturday morning each month and by the GP+ service in Bury St Edmunds and Ipswich, Suffolk between the hours of 6.30pm to 9pm on weekdays and 9am until 2pm at weekends. Out of hours GP services are provided by Care UK through the 111 service.
Updated
11 April 2018
This practice is rated as Good overall. We previously carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Brandon Medical Practice on 8 August 2017. The overall rating for the practice was requires improvement (safe, caring, responsive and well led were rated as requires improvement, effective rated as good).
We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Brandon Medical Practice
on 27 March 2018 to check that the provider had made the improvements required from the last inspection. Overall, the practice is now rated as good. The full reports on the August 2017 inspection can be found by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Brandon Medical Practice on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
The key questions are rated as:
Are services safe? – Good
Are services effective? – Good
Are services caring? – Good
Are services responsive? – Good
Are services well-led? - Good
As part of our inspection process, we also look at the quality of care for specific population groups. The population groups are rated as:
Older People – Good
People with long-term conditions – Good
Families, children and young people – Good
Working age people (including those recently retired and students – Good
People whose circumstances may make them vulnerable – Good
People experiencing poor mental health (including people with dementia) - Good
At this inspection we found:
- The practice is a member of the Suffolk Primary Care (SPC) partnership which is a partnership that consists of 11 GP practices. Through joint working the practice had extended their skill mix within the practice with first point physiotherapists and an emergency care practitioner.
- The practice had responded to patient’s feedback and held surgeries on one Saturday morning each month. Patients also had access to evening and weekend appointments at the GP+ service which operated in nearby Bury St Edmunds and Ipswich.
- There was an open and transparent approach for reporting and recording significant events and information was shared with the Suffolk Primary Care partnership for wider learning. The practice was working towards more joint meetings within the practice to ensure whole team reviews of events.
- The practice had good facilities and was equipped to treat patients and meet their needs. The practice had responded to patient feedback and had recently redecorated through the main building.
- There were arrangements for identifying, recording, and managing risks, issues, and implementing mitigating actions.
- A programme of continuous clinical and internal audit was used to monitor quality and to make improvements. In addition to the practice programme, there was a programme of audits across all the practices within Suffolk Primary Care partnership.
- Practice specific policies were implemented; the practice was in the process of migrating to the policies and procedures under the Suffolk Primary Care partnership governance. We saw evidence that this was being managed safely and systematically.
- All medicines we checked were in date and regular checks were undertaken.
- The practice had a system in place for handling complaints and concerns. We looked at documentation relating to complaints received in the previous six months and found that they had been fully investigated and responded to in a timely and appropriate manner.
- Data from the National GP Patient Survey, published in July 2017, showed patients rated the practice below average for most aspects of care. Since our previous inspection the practice had undertaken two patient surveys with improved results.
- There was a clear leadership structure and staff felt supported by management. The practice proactively sought feedback from staff, which it acted on. Staff told us they were able to undertake development opportunities.
- Staff were supported through a system of appraisals and continued professional development.
- Since our last inspection the practice had formed a patient participation group and we spoke with three members who gave positive feedback on the practice.
- The provider was aware of, and had systems in place to ensure, compliance with the requirements of the duty of candour.
The areas where the provider should make improvements are:
Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP)
Chief Inspector of General Practice
Working age people (including those recently retired and students)
Updated
11 April 2018
People experiencing poor mental health (including people with dementia)
Updated
11 April 2018