Archived: Salford Health Matters Community Interest Company Also known as Willow Tree Site

Updated 11 February 2016

Salford Health Matters Willow Tree is a practice with approximately 4500 registered patients. The practice is part of the Salford Health Matters Community Interest Company that is run by a board of directors. Salford Health Matters Community Interest Company is a not for profit organisation that also runs two other GP practices, as well as a homeless service. The practice staff comprises of four GPs, one advanced nurse practitioner, three practice nurses, one advanced physiotherapist practitioner as well as a team of administration staff and two healthcare assistants.  The practice has a Personal Medical Services contract and provides the following registered activities: Surgical procedures, Diagnostic and screening procedures, Treatment of disease, disorder or injury, Maternity and midwifery services and Family planning.

GP appointment times during the week of our inspection were available as follows:

Mondays 8am-6.30pm

Tuesdays 8am-6.30pm

Wednesdays 8am-8pm

Thursdays 8am-6.30pm

Fridays 8am-6.30pm

Saturdays 9am-12pm (Third Saturday each month)

Outside of opening hours, patients will be signposted to the out of hours services.

Updated 11 February 2016

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Salford Health Matters Willow Tree on 13 November 2015. 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 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.
• Urgent appointments were available on 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 some areas of outstanding practice:

• The practice had a vascular long term conditions management process system.  This allows the practice to provide a holistic review for patients with multiple vascular conditions.

• The practice is a participator in the ‘safehaven’ scheme which is for patients that have been previously removed from primary care due to an incident of violence. The scheme is designed to help rehabilitate patients back into primary care.

• The practice takes the care of people with dementia seriously. All staff are 'dementia friends', so know more about how they can help people with the condition.

The areas where the provider should make improvement are:

• Action needs to be taken to clear the back log of summarising medical records of new patients to the practice.

• Ensure all computers are locked when unattended to guarantee security of patient information of the computer system 

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Updated 11 February 2016

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

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

• Longer appointments and home visits were available when needed.

• All these patients 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 GP worked with relevant health and care professionals to deliver a multidisciplinary package of care.

• The practice had a vascular long term conditions management process system. This allows the practice to provide a holistic review for patients with multiple vascular conditions.

Updated 11 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.

• 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.

Children were able to get an appointment with a GP on the same day.

Updated 11 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.

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

Updated 11 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 11 February 2016

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 where they may have been experiencing poor mental health.

• All staff were 'dementia friends' which meant that staff had a good understanding of how to support people with mental health needs and dementia.

Updated 11 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 was a nominated location for asylum seekers to register with a GP.

• It offered longer appointments for people with a learning disability.

• 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.