Archived: Desborough Health Centre Also known as Rothwell & Desborough Health Care group

Updated 14 January 2016

The Desborough Surgery is one of two locations operated by Rothwell & Desborough Health Care Group, which provides primary medical services from a two storey building, to approximately 12,000 patients in Rothwell and Desborough and surrounding areas in Kettering, Northamptonshire. Although 12,000 patients are registered specifically at this surgery, they have the option to attend the providers other surgery in Rothwell who provide services to another 8,500 patients registered there. This is registered with CQC as a separate location and therefore was not inspected as part of this process.

The practice provides primary medical services under a Personal Medical Service (PMS) agreement. There are eleven GP partners and a salaried GP, three nurse prescribers, four practice nurses, four health care assistants, a nurse manager, and a practice manager. The staff resource and services are shared over the two locations. The team are supported by a number of administrative and reception staff.

The practice population has a slightly higher than average number of patients in the over 85 years and 60 to 75 years as well as 0-10 year age group. The area does not have of a significant level of deprivation.

The practice is open between 8am and 6.30pm from Monday to Friday inclusive. When the practice is closed out of hours services are provided by Intermediate Care 24 Centre via the 111 service.  The practice offers extended hours on Monday and Thursday evening from 6.30pm until 8pm and Saturdays 8am until 10.30am.  These alternate between the Desborough and the Rothwell surgery.

Updated 14 January 2016

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Desborough Surgery on 20 October 2015. Overall the practice is rated as good.

Our key findings across all the areas we inspected were as follows:

• Staff understood and fulfilled their responsibilities to raise concerns, and to report incidents and near misses. Information about safety was recorded, monitored, appropriately reviewed and addressed although the significant event process would benefit from review.
• Risks to patients were assessed and well managed.
• Patients’ needs were assessed and care was planned and delivered following best practice guidance. Staff had received training appropriate to their roles and any further training needs had been identified and planned although some update training was overdue.
• 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.
• Patients’ satisfaction regarding making an appointment with a GP was below average in the 2015 national survey with patients expressing dissatisfaction regarding the telephone system and difficulty in getting an appointment. However, the practice was addressing this and patients reported that they could see a GP urgently if they needed to.
• 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 sought feedback from staff and patients, which it acted on.

However there were areas of practice where the provider needs to make improvements.

Importantly the provider should :

• Review the significant event process to ensure all events are identified and recorded consistently and consider regular review.

• Ensure regular update training is completed for all staff.

• Complete actions identified in the infection control audit and ensure infection control training is completed for all staff.

• Introduce a means of ensuring more privacy at reception.

• Continue work to address areas of patient dissatisfaction identified in the 2015 national patient survey.

Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Updated 14 January 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 medication 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.

Updated 14 January 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 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.

Updated 14 January 2016

The practice is rated as good for the care of older people. Nationally reported data showed that outcomes for patients were good for conditions commonly found in older people. The practice offered proactive, personalised care to meet the needs of the older people in its population and had a range of enhanced services, for example, in dementia and end of life care. It was responsive to the needs of older people, and offered home visits and rapid access appointments for those with enhanced needs.

Updated 14 January 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 14 January 2016

The practice is rated as good for the care of people experiencing poor mental health (including people with dementia). People experiencing poor mental health had been offered an annual physical health check and the practice employed two counsellors to support patients who needed it. 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 (A&E) where they may have been experiencing poor mental health

Updated 14 January 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. It had carried out annual health checks and 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.