East Oxford Health Centre is located in Cowley Road, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX4 1XD
The surgery which is also known as Dr Stevens & Partners is a GP practice in Oxford. It provides primary medical services to approximately 7,600 NHS patients. The practice is situated in a purpose-built building which opened in 2007. The practice is accessible by for patients with mobility issues.
As part of the inspection we talked with six patients, including a member of the patient participation group (PPG). We also received 12 comment cards from patients expressing their written views about the practice.
During our visit we spoke with a range of staff, including the practice manager, GPs, registered nurses and health care assistants, receptionists and other administrative staff.
The practice is open from 8.30 am to 6 pm on Monday to Friday. During these hours the practice provides telephone triage consultations, a duty doctor system and bookable appointments. Patients could book appointments either in person, over the phone or on-line.
The majority of patients we spoke with during our inspection told us that they were happy with the treatment that they received. Patients described staff as caring and told us they were always treated respectfully by staff. We found that the practice had listened to patient comments and taken action to improve their service.
We saw the practice had a clean and hygienic environment and there were systems in place to safeguard patients from abuse. Clinical decisions followed best practice.
We found the practice was meeting the wide ranging needs of its patients and the varying levels of demand that were placed on it.
Patients received a caring service. We saw patients being treated with sensitivity by reception staff, and patients we spoke with confirmed the reception staff were polite and respectful.
Governance and risk management measures were in place but we found that some governance arrangements needed strengthening to ensure the systems identified and addressed minor issues we found in recruitment, the storage of medicines and the identification of training needs.
The practice was well-led and responsive to the needs of patients attending the practice. Staff were positive about the management and leadership team and felt supported in their roles. They said their suggestions to improve the service were always listened to. All staff attended staff meetings and contributed positively to developing the practices service.
We found that the practice had met the regulations and provided services that were safe and effective.
During our inspection we looked at how well services are provided for specific groups of people and what good care looks like for them. The population groups we reviewed were:
• Older people
• People with long-term conditions
• Mothers, babies, children and young people
• The working-age population and those recently retired
• People in vulnerable circumstances who may have poor access to primary care
• People experiencing mental health problems
We found the practice provided a responsive service for patients within each population group. Patients were able to access appointments and there were systems in place to ensure patients received an individualised and caring service. The surgery had carefully considered the needs of vulnerable patients and worked in partnership with other organisations to ensure that these patients were supported with their health and social care needs.