Baddow Village Surgery

Updated 24 December 2015

Great Baddow is an urban village and civil parish in the Chelmsford borough of Essex. It is close to the city of Chelmsford and, with a population of over 13,000 is one of the largest villages in Essex country.

Baddow Village Surgery provides GP primary care services to approximately 11,520 people, they accept patients from areas of Great Baddow, Galleywood, Howe Green, Rettendon, The Hanningfields and Sandon. The practice is staffed by seven GPs, three male and four female; Baddow Village Surgery is a training practice. This means their registrars are fully qualified doctors generally with hospital experience. They are attached to the practice for 12-18 months and usually become general practitioners after completing their training. Nursing staff include four practice nurses, two health care assistance and a Phlebotomist. The Practice manager and assistant practice manager are supported by a senior receptionist two secretaries and reception staff. Baddow Village Surgery is a dispensing surgery run by a dispensary manager.

The Surgery is open for appointments and general enquiries between 8am and 6.30pm Monday to Friday, the main phone line is closed between 1pm and 2pm for lunch. The dispensary is open Monday to Friday 8.30am to 6.30pm. The details of the ‘out of hours’ service are communicated in a recorded message accessed by calling the practice when closed and details can also be found on the practice website. Patients can book appointments and order repeat prescriptions online.

Updated 24 December 2015

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Baddow Village Surgery on 20 August 2015.

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

• Staff understood and fulfilled their responsibilities to raise concerns, and to report incidents and near misses. Information about safety was recorded, monitored, appropriately reviewed and addressed.
• Risks to patients were assessed and well managed.
• Patients’ needs were assessed and care was planned and delivered following best practice guidance. Staff had received training appropriate to their roles and any further training needs had been identified and planned.

• 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.
• Patients said they found it easy to make an appointment with a named GP and that 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.

However there were areas of practice where the provider needs to make improvements.

Importantly the provider should;

• Ensure a fire drill is carried out.
• Ensure blank prescription pads are stored securely.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Updated 24 December 2015

The practice is rated as good for the care of people with long-term conditions. There was a named clinical lead for each long term condition and nursing staff had lead roles in chronic disease management. Patients at risk of hospital admission were identified as a priority. Longer appointments and home visits were available when needed. All patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were offered care plans and referred to pulmonary rehabilitation when appropriate.

All patients with long term conditions had a named GP and a structured annual review to check that their health and medication needs were being met. For those people with the most complex needs, the named GP worked with relevant health and care professionals to deliver a multidisciplinary package of care..

Updated 24 December 2015

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. Appointments were available outside of school hours and the premises were suitable for children and babies. We saw good examples of joint working with midwives, health visitors and school nurses.

Updated 24 December 2015

The practice is rated as good for the care of older people. Nationally reported data showed that outcomes for patients were good for conditions commonly found in older people. The practice offered proactive, personalised care to meet the needs of the older people in its population and had a range of enhanced services, for example, they used co-ordinated care for patients receiving end of life care and these were shared with the out of hours services to ensure they were aware of patients’ needs and wishes. It was responsive to the needs of older people, and offered home visits and rapid access appointments for those with enhanced needs.

Updated 24 December 2015

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. Patients could book non-urgent appointments and order repeat prescriptions on-line. The practice provided the NHS Health Check for those over 40 and opportunistic screening for blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes at routine appointments.

The practice was proactive in offering a full range of health promotion and screening that reflects the needs for this age group.

Updated 24 December 2015

The practice is rated as good for the care of people experiencing poor mental health (including people with dementia). The practice regularly worked with multi-disciplinary teams in the case management of people experiencing poor mental health, including those with dementia. It 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. It had a system in place to follow up patients who had attended accident and emergency (A&E) where they may have been experiencing poor mental health. Staff had received training on how to care for people with mental health needs and dementia.

Updated 24 December 2015

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 learning disability however they were not routinely offering annual health checks. Suitable arrangements were in place for the practice to register patients who were homeless.

The practice regularly worked with multi-disciplinary teams in the case management of vulnerable people. It had told 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.