OHP-Leach Heath Medical Centre Also known as Leach Heath Medical Centre

On this page

• Overview
• Person-centred Care
• Care provision, Integration and continuity
• Providing Information
• Listening to and involving people
• Equity in access
• Equity in experiences and outcomes
• Planning for the future

We carried out an announced assessment of one quality statement, equity of access, on 6 March 2024. • People’s feedback indicated that access was an area in need of improvement. • Leaders were not able to fully demonstrate how they proactively used people’s feedback and other evidence to improve access for people. • There were systems in place to support people who were most likely to have difficulty accessing care and to prioritise those most in need of urgent care to access appointments.

This service scored 75 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

We did not look at Person-centred Care during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Responsive.

We did not look at Care provision, Integration and continuity during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Responsive.

We did not look at Providing Information during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Responsive.

We did not look at Listening to and involving people during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Responsive.

The leaders demonstrated they were aware of the challenges to patient access and had taken some action to try and improve. This included preparing rotas 4 weeks in advance which were reviewed weekly by a member of the clinical team to identify any gaps in staffing that needed addressing. Staff explained they provided opportunities and support for different groups of the patient population to overcome health inequalities. For example, home visits would be provided for patients who were housebound, longer appointments were available for those with complex healthcare needs and patients with no fixed abode could register using the practice address. The practice was an Armed Forces veteran friendly accredited practice and told us that they were in the process of registering as a safe surgery helping to remove barriers to people who may not have proof of identity or an address. There was a range of services that staff could refer to patients to where it better meet their needs for example, a social prescriber, pharmacists and mental health clinicians. Leaders received information relating to telephone system which enabled them to identify where there were pressures and adjust staffing accordingly to answer calls. Data for the four weeks in February 2024 showed the practice had received 17,663 calls of which 92% were answered. Average call answering times were around 2 minutes while those abandoned were approximately 4 minutes. The leaders promoted the use of their website and online systems for patients to request an appointment and were exploring a system of total triage to help improve the equity of access and ensure patients were seen by the right clinician.

We reviewed the practice's GP National Patient Survey results for 2023. Results for the four questions reviewed relating to access showed the practice was below national averages. In particular, the question as to how easy it was to get through to someone at their GP practice on the phone scored 26.6% compared to the national average of 49.6%. Trends in the GP National Patient Survey showed the practice had scored lower than the national average in general over the last five years. An in-house survey undertaken by the practice in March 2023 based on 30 responses showed higher results than the GP National Patient Survey however, they were still low with 33% of patients saying they found it very or fairly easy to get through on the telephone. There were 10 reviews left on the NHS Website within the last 12 months, 8 of these were negative. All the negative reviews referred to difficulties getting through on the phone or availability of appointments. The practice participated in the Friends and Family Test which invites patients to say whether they would recommend the service to others. Between November 2023 and February 2024, 90% of patients said the service was good or very good. There were 5 negative comments about access which largely focussed on being able to obtain a timely blood test appointment. The practice had received 2 complaints in the last 12 months, neither of which mentioned access. We received feedback from 1 patient in the last 12 months who made negative comments about access. We saw no formal plans to improve access in response to feedback although leaders told us about some of the actions they had taken such as increasing the number of staff responding to calls during busy times and advising patients how they can request appointments online.

Patients could book appointments by telephone, online, and in person by visiting the practice. Patients could also ask for administrative requests to be completed by filling in a form on the practice website. Appointments were available face to face, by telephone, or as a home visit. Same day appointments were available and patients could book routine appointments up to 4 weeks in advance. The practice offered appointments during their core opening hours 8am to 6.30pm on weekdays. Pre-booked appointments were available on weekday evenings and at the weekend at another local practice as part of the extended access service provided by their Primary Care Network. The practice operated a duty doctor system. The duty doctor dealt with urgent appointments and reception staff could refer to them if they had concerns about a patient or if all urgent appointments had been used. Staff told us that they currently had a member of staff being trained as a care navigator, this would enable them to refer patients to the right clinician first time and make the most effective use of appointments available. Leaders worked closely within their Primary Care Network (PCN) and Integrated Care Board (ICB) to improve access. Through the PCN they were able to offer access to a wider range of health and social care professionals as well as evening and weekend appointments to best meet patients needs. They accessed winter pressure funding through the ICB to provide additional appointments during the winter months and attended meetings focused on sharing ideas to improve access.

We did not look at Equity in experiences and outcomes during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Responsive.

We did not look at Planning for the future during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Responsive.