Archived: Beechwood Medical Group

Updated 13 February 2018

Beechwood Group Practice is registered with the Care Quality Commission to provide primary care services. The practice provides services to around 6,700 patients from one location at 57 John Street, Workington, Cumbria, CA14 3FT. We visited this address during the inspection.

Beechwood Group Practice is based in converted premises in Workington. There is level access to the surgery and all reception and consultation rooms are fully accessible. There is no on-site parking; however, there is on-street parking outside the practice available to local residents who have a permit to park in the town.

The practice has two GP partners (although one partner is leaving the practice) and one salaried GP (one male, one female). There are also two long-term locum GPs working at the practice. The practice employs a practice manager, an assistant practice manager, two advanced nurse practitioners, two practice nurses, a healthcare assistant, two phlebotomists, and five staff who undertake reception duties and six administration staff. The practice provides services based on a General Medical Services (GMS) contract agreement for general practice.

Beechwood Group Practice is open from Monday to Friday 8am to 6.30pm. Patients at the practice have access to Workington Primary Care Centre for appointments on Saturday morning between 9am and 12.15pm. Telephones are answered by the practice between 8am and 6.30pm Monday to Friday. When the practice is closed patients are directed to the NHS 111 service. This information is available on the practice’s telephone message, website and in the practice leaflet.

The practice is part of NHS North Cumbria Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG). Information from Public Health England placed the area in which the practice is located in the fourth most deprived decile. In general, people living in more deprived areas tend to have greater need for health

services. Average male life expectancy at the practice is 77 years compared to the national average of 79 years. Average female life expectancy at the practice is 80 years compared to the national average of 83 years. The proportion of patients with a long-standing health condition is below average (52% compared to the local average of 56% and the national average of 54%). The proportion of patients who are in paid work or full-time employment or education is below average (54% compared to the CCG average of 59% and the national average of 62%). The proportion of patients who are unemployed is above average (6% compared to the CCG average of 4% and the national average of 5%).

The service for patients requiring urgent medical care out of hours is provided by the NHS 111 service and Cumbria Health on Call Limited.

Updated 13 February 2018

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Beechwood Group Practice on 14 April 2016. The overall rating for the practice was requires improvement. After the comprehensive inspection the practice wrote to us to say what they would do to address the areas which required improvement. We undertook an announced focused inspection on 15 December 2016 to check that the practice had followed their plan and to confirm that they now met legal requirements The overall rating of the practice was changed to good, but remained rated as requiring improvement for leadership. The full comprehensive report on the April 2016 inspection and the report for focused inspection in December 2016 can be found by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Beechwood Group Practice on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

This inspection was an announced focused inspection carried out on 19 January 2018 to confirm that the practice had carried out their plan to meet the legal requirements in relation to the breaches in regulations that we identified in our previous inspection on 15 December 2016. This report covers our findings in relation to those requirements.

The practice is rated as good overall including for providing safe services.

Our key findings were as follows:

• The practice had addressed the governance arrangements to ensure that the programme of clinical audit at the practice was effective, and that significant events were suitably analysed and actioned, and that learning from them was shared.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Updated 23 February 2017

The practice is rated as good for care of the people with long-term conditions, as the overall rating of the practice has improved to good.

Updated 23 February 2017

The practice is rated as good for the care of families, children and young people, as the overall rating of the practice has improved to good.

Updated 23 February 2017

The practice is rated as good for the care of older people, as the overall rating of the practice has improved to good.

Updated 23 February 2017

The practice is rated as good for the care of working age people, as the overall rating of the practice has improved to good.

Updated 23 February 2017

The practice is rated as good for the care of people experiencing poor mental health, as the overall rating of the practice has improved to good.

Updated 23 February 2017

The practice is rated as good for the care of people whose circumstances make them vulnerable, as the overall rating of the practice has improved to good.