Archived: Hollygreen Practice

Updated 25 February 2016

Hollygreen Practice is on the outskirts of Rotherham and Barnsley serving a practice population of 11047. The practice catchment area is classed as within the group of the second most deprived areas in England.

There are seven GPs, four male and three female, of these there are three GP partners and four salaried GPs. They are supported by a nurse manager who is an advanced nurse practitioner, five practice nurses and three health care assistants, a practice manager, an assistant practice manager, a reception supervisor and reception staff and clerical staff.

Hollygreen Practice has three sites, the main site is based at the Goldthorpe Centre, with two sites in Thurnscoe and Great Houghton, both of these are approximately four miles away. All staff work across all three sites. Patients can access appointments at any of the three sites.

The reception, waiting areas, consulting rooms and disabled toilet facilities are on the ground floor. There is step free access into the building and easy access for those in wheelchairs or with pushchairs. There is a car park at each site.

They are a teaching practice for both medical and nursing students.

Surgery opening times:

The three practice sites are open between 8.00am and 6.30pm Monday to Friday.

Appointments with the GPs across the three sites were from 8.30am to 11.30am every morning and 2.00pm to 5.30pm daily.

Extended surgery hours are offered with GPs and nurses on Monday evenings from 6.30pm to 8.00pm at all three sites and 7.30am to 8.00am on Tuesdays at the Thurnscoe site and all three sites on Friday mornings from 7.30am to 8.00am.

Out of hours care can be accessed via the surgery telephone number or by calling the NHS111 service.

The practice is registered to provide; diagnostic and screening procedures, Family planning, maternity and midwifery services, surgical procedures and the treatment of disease, disorder or injury at The Goldthorpe Centre, Goldthorpe Green, Goldthorpe S639EH, The Thurnscoe Centre, Holly Bush Dr, Thurnscoe, S63 0LU and Great Houghton Medical Centre, Oak Haven Avenue, Great Houghton, Barnsley, South Yorkshire S72 0EJ.

Updated 25 February 2016

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Hollygreen Practice on 25 January 2016. Overall the practice is rated as good.

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

• There was an open and transparent approach to safety and an effective system in place for reporting and recording significant events.
• Risks to patients were assessed and well managed.
• Staff assessed patients’ needs and delivered care in line with current evidence based guidance. Staff had the skills, knowledge and experience to deliver effective care and treatment.
• Patients told us that 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.
• The provider was aware of and complied with the requirements of the Duty of Candour.

We saw two areas of outstanding practice:

Patients consistently told us that the staff were very caring; we were told by one older patient that a member of staff delivered the medicine that he required urgently, during a period of very cold weather.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Updated 25 February 2016

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

• GPs and nursing staff had lead roles in chronic disease management and patients at risk of hospital admission were identified as a priority.

• Performance for diabetes indicators was 70% which was  and below the CCG average of 84% and national average of 89%. However the practice was aware of this and two of the practice nurses and a GP had recently taken lead roles in this area.

• Longer appointments and home visits were available when needed.

• Patients with suspected atrial fibrillation, a heart condition, were referred in house to one of the GPs who had a special interest and training in cardiology. The patient could be diagnosed, treated and monitored locally at the practice, avoiding the need for hospital referral.

• 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.

• There was information on long term conditions and useful links on the practice website.

Updated 25 February 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.

• In the last 12 months, 66% of patients diagnosed with asthma had a review of their care.

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

Updated 25 February 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.

Updated 25 February 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.

Updated 25 February 2016

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

• In the last 12 months, 81% of patients diagnosed with dementia had their care reviewed in a face to face meeting, which is comparable to the national average.

• The practice regularly worked with multidisciplinary teams in the case management of people experiencing poor mental health, including those living 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 those living with dementia.

Updated 25 February 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 and there were two GPs with clear lead roles in this area.

• The practice regularly worked with multidisciplinary teams in the case management of vulnerable people.

• 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.