Background to this inspection
Updated
19 November 2018
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) registered Thornfield Medical Group to provide primary care services to around 19,500 patients from two locations:
- Molineux Street Byker, Newcastle Upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, NE6 1SG
- Branch Surgery: Shieldfield Health Centre, Stoddard Street, Shieldfield, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, NE2 1AL
We visited both sites as part of this inspection.
Thornfield Medical Group provides care and treatment to around 19,500 patients of all ages, based on a General Medical Services (GMS) contract agreement for general practice. The practice is part of the NHS Newcastle Gateshead clinical commissioning group (CCG).
The practice was in the process of negotiating terms on new premises for the main surgery at the time of the inspection. However, final terms were yet to be agreed and planning had yet to identify a firm date for a move.
The practice has four GP partners (three females and one male) and ten salaried GP’s and a business manager. Additionally, the practice employs two pharmacists (one male and one female), an advanced nurse practitioner (female), a mental health practitioner (male), four nurses and six healthcare assistants. There are 30 members of the administration team and one further member of the management team. The practice is a teaching practice.
The NHS 111 service and Vocare Limited (known locally as Northern Doctors Urgent Care) provide the service for patients requiring urgent medical care out of hours.
Information from Public Health England placed the area in which the practice is located in the second most deprived decile. In general, people living in more deprived areas tend to have a greater need for health services. Average male life expectancy at the practice is 76.3 years, compared to the national average of 79.2 years. Average female life expectancy at the practice is 80.9 years, compared to the national average of 83.2 years.
86.5% of the practice population were white, 1.6% were mixed race, 8.5% were Asian, 2.4% were black and 1.1% were other races.
We checked and confirmed the practice had displayed the most recent CQC ratings legibly and conspicuously both on their practice website and in the practice premises.
Updated
19 November 2018
T
his practice is rated as Outstanding overall. (Previous rating October 2015 – Good)
The key questions at this inspection are rated as:
Are services safe? – Good
Are services effective? – Good
Are services caring? – Good
Are services responsive? – Outstanding
Are services well-led? - Outstanding
We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Thornfield Medical Group on 3 October 2018. This was as part of our ongoing 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.
- There was a truly holistic approach to assessing, planning and delivering care and treatment to people who used the service. Quality improvement was at the heart of any changes made by the practice. New evidence based techniques were used to support the delivery of high quality care.
- They ensured that care and treatment was delivered according to evidence-based guidelines.
- Staff were committed to working collaboratively, people who had complex needs were supported to receive coordinated care and there were innovative and effective ways to deliver more joined up care to patients.
- Staff involved and treated patients with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.
- Staff were consistent in supporting patients to live healthier lives through a targeted and proactive approach to health promotion and prevention of ill-health, and every contact with patients was used to do so.
- Patients found the appointment system easy to use and reported that they were able to access care when they needed it.
- The practice had helped to make links with patients who may be most vulnerable of being excluded from good access to primary medical services.
- The practice took a systematic approach to working with other organisations to improve care outcomes, tackle health inequalities and obtain best value for money.
- The practice planned for a sustainable future, and innovated to support sustainability and provision of good quality care. Leaders were not afraid of safe innovation and strove to continually improve the health outcomes for patients. There were strong governance arrangements which supported safe innovation and continual improvement.
We saw areas of outstanding practice:
- Leaders were not afraid of safe innovation and strove to continually improve the health outcomes for patients. They were proactive in responding to the needs of the patients to help reduce health inequalities. They understood the challenges faced by patients in a very deprived area and put in place strategies to support improved outcomes for patients. For example, staff were consistent in supporting people to live healthier lives through a targeted proactive approach to health promotion and prevention of ill health. They had reduced non-elective admissions to hospital for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) by 12.5%. They had captured the individualised needs of patients who had undergone gender reassignment, experienced gender dysphoria or identified as non-binary, including future health screening needs. The practice had linked with people who were most vulnerable of exclusion from good access to primary medical services. They had supported patients to become familiar with the practice and how primary care works with a visit by young people with autism and participating in a national children’s TV programme.
Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP
Chief Inspector of General Practice
Please refer to the detailed report and the evidence tables for further information.