Byron Medical Practice

Updated 21 September 2016

Avenue Family Practice is located in the coastal town of Seaham, which is an ex mining community.

The practice provides services under a Personal Medical Services (PMS) contract with the NHS Durham, Dales, Easington and Sedgefield CCG to the practice population of 3697, covering patients of all ages.

The proportion of the practice population in the 65 years and over age group is similar the England average. The practice population in the under 18 age group is similar to the England average. The practice scored three on the deprivation measurement scale, the deprivation scale goes from one to ten, with one being the most deprived. People living in more deprived areas tend to have a greater need for health services.

The practice has two GP partners and two long term locum GPs. There are three male and one female GP. There is one practice nurses and one health care assistant (HCA), the nurse is female as is HCA. There is a practice manage rand a team of administration, reception and secretarial staff.

Avenue Family Practice is open between 8.00am to 7.30pm on Mondays and 8.00am to 6.00pm Tuesday to Friday.

The practice, along with all other practices in the Durham, Dale, Easington and Sedgefield CCG area have a contractual agreement for the Out of Hours provider to provide OOHs services from 6.00pm. This has been agreed with the NHS England area team.

The practice has opted out of providing out of hours services (OOHs) for their patients. When the practice is closed patients use the 111 service to contact the OOHs provider. Information for patients requiring urgent medical attention out of hours is available in the waiting area, in the practice information leaflet and on the practice website.

Updated 21 September 2016

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Avenue Family Practice on 4 July 2016. 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 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. Improvements were made to the quality of care as a result of complaints and concerns.
• Patients said they were able to get same day appointments however some patients told us it could be difficult to make appointments. GPs had ‘personal lists’ providing all patients with a named GP and continuity of care.
• 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.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Updated 21 September 2016

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

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

• A ‘one stop shop’ for people with diabetes.The patients were able to visit the practice once for all of their diabetes checks including blood tests, a review with the dietician, foot check by the podiatrist and review by the diabetic lead nurse.

• Longer appointments and home visits were available when needed.

• Patients with LTCs had a named GP and a structured annual review to check that their health and medicines needs were being met. For those people with the most complex needs, the named GPs worked with relevant health and care professionals to deliver a multidisciplinary package of care.

• There was a practice based anti-coagulations (blood test for drugs that prevent blood clots) service.This enabled patients to receive these test closer to home.

Updated 21 September 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 or who failed to attend hospital appointments.

• Immunisation rates were 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.

• Nationally reported data from 2014/2015 showed the practice’s uptake for the cervical screening programme was 82%. This was comparable the local CCG average and the England average.

• 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.

  The practice monitored any non-attendance of babies and children at vaccination clinics and worked with the health visiting service to follow up any concerns.

Updated 21 September 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. Patients over the age of 75 had a named GP.

• They were responsive to the needs of older people, and offered home visits and urgent appointments for those with enhanced needs.

• Nationally reported data for 2014/2015 showed that outcomes were good for conditions commonly found in older people. For example, performance for heart failure indicators was 100%; this was 1% above the local CCG average and 2% above the England average.

• The practice was part of the Vulnerable Adults Wrap Around Service (VAWAS). This was a service provided to vulnerable patients living in nursing or care homes, the housebound or those at high risk of admission. They were cared for by a GP in conjunction with Advanced Nurse Practitioners and district nurses. This was a Federation initiative through the CCG to ensure the needs assessment of vulnerable patients remained up to date.

GPs carry out pro-active visits to patients in nursing and care homes to discuss advance directives where appropriate with patients and their relatives. 

Updated 21 September 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 reflected the needs for this age group.

• Telephone consultations were available every day with a call back appointment arranged at a time to suit the patient, for example during their lunch break.

Updated 21 September 2016

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

• Nationally reported data from 2014/2015 showed 83% of people diagnosed with dementia had had their care reviewed in a face to face meeting in the preceding 12 months. This was comparable to the local CCG average and the England average.

• Nationally reported data from 2014/2015 showed the percentage of patients with schizophrenia, bipolar affective disorder and other psychoses who had a comprehensive care plan documented in their record in the preceding 12 months was 90%. This was comparable the local CCG average and the England average.

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

• The practice carried out advanced 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 people with mental health needs and dementia. Staff had recently undergone dementia training.

Updated 21 September 2016

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

• The practice held registers of patients living in vulnerable circumstances which included those with a learning disability.

• The practice offered longer appointments for people with a learning disability.

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

• The practice 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.

• Telephone interpretation services were available and information leaflets in different languages were provided when required.