Dr Ahmed El Safy Also known as Chester Surgery

Updated 26 March 2018

Dr Ahmed El Safy (known locally as Chester Surgery) provides care and treatment to around 2,600 patients living in the Sunderland area, including Town End Farm, Monkwearmouth, South Hylton, Pallion, Pennywell and Hendon. The practice is part of Sunderland clinical commissioning group (CCG) and operates on a General Medical Services (GMS) contract agreement for general practice.

The practice provides services from the following addresses, which we visited during this inspection:

• 215 Chester Road, Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, SR4 7TU

The practice maintains a website http://elsafygp.nhs.uk

The practice is located in a terraced property and provides services to patients on the ground floor. They offer accessible WCs and step free access. Public parking bays for short-term use are available to use in the adjoining side streets.

Patients can book appointments in person, on-line or by telephone.

Opening hours are as follows :

• Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 6pm.

Appointments are available at the following times:

• Monday 9:30am - 11:30am and 1pm - 5pm

• Tuesday 9:30am - 11:30am and 1pm - 6pm
• Wednesday 9:30am - 11am and 1pm - 6pm
• Thursday 9:30am - 11:30am and 1pm - 6pm
• Friday 10am - 12pm and 2:30pm - 3:30pm

The practice is part of a scheme that provides extended hours appointments in the area. The practice is able to book extended hours appointments for patients at four local health centres between 6pm and 8pm each weekday, between 9am and 5:30pm on weekends and between 10am and 2pm on bank holidays.

The service for patients requiring urgent medical attention out of hours is provided by the NHS 111 service and Vocare, which is also known locally as Northern Doctors Urgent Care.

The practice has:

• One GP (male), a practice nurse who is also the practice manager (female), a deputy practice manager, a senior receptionist and two receptionists.

The age profile of the practice population is broadly in line with the local and national averages. Information taken from Public Health England placed the area in which the surgery is located in the fourth most deprived decile. In general, people living in more deprived areas tend to have greater need for health services.

Updated 26 March 2018

This practice is rated as Good overall. (Previous inspection September 2015 – Good)

The key questions are rated as:

Are services safe? – Good

Are services effective? – Good

Are services caring? – Good

Are services responsive? – Good

Are services well-led? - Good

As part of our inspection process, we also look at the quality of care for specific population groups. The population groups are rated as:

Older People – Good

People with long-term conditions – Good

Families, children and young people – Good

Working age people (including those recently retired and students – Good

People whose circumstances may make them vulnerable – Good

People experiencing poor mental health (including people with dementia) - Good

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Dr Ahmed El Safy on 16 February 2018 as part of our inspection programme.

At this inspection we found:

• The practice had clear systems to manage risk so that safety incidents were less likely to happen. When incidents did happen, the practice learned from them and improved their processes.
• The practice routinely reviewed the effectiveness and appropriateness of the care it provided. It ensured that care and treatment was delivered according to evidence-based guidelines.
• Quality Outcomes Framework (QOF) for 2016/17 showed the practice had achieved 100% of the points available to them for providing recommended treatments for the most commonly found clinical conditions.
• Staff involved treated patients with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.
• Patients found the appointment system easy to use and reported that they were able to access care when they needed it.
• There was a focus on continuous learning and improvement at all levels of the organisation.
• The practice had taken action to address the areas we told them they should improve when we inspected the practice in September 2016.
• Relationships between staff and the management of the practice were positive and supportive.

The areas where the provider should make improvements are:

• Review the arrangements for the recruitment of locum GPs to ensure it included checks of the GP’s mandatory training and verification of identity.
• Complete the process of recording the immunisation status for non-clinical members of staff.
• Carry out a recorded risk assessment to determine the list of emergency medicines that will be stocked locally.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Updated 26 March 2018

Updated 26 March 2018

Updated 26 March 2018

Updated 26 March 2018

Updated 26 March 2018

Updated 26 March 2018