Thornhill Lees Medical Centre Also known as Slaithwaite Road Surgery

Updated 21 October 2016

Thornhill Lees Medical Centre provides primary care medical services under a personal medical services contract to 4905 patients in Thornhill Lees, Dewsbury.

• There is one full time male GP and one female part time GP. A female practice nurse and a female health care assistant. The practice is currently seeking a GP partner.

• The main surgery at Thornhill Lees is open:
  • Monday 8.30am to 4pm
  • Tuesday 8.30am to 6.30pm
  • Wednesday 8.30am to 4pm
  • Thursday 8.30am to 6.30pm
  • Friday 8.30am to 6.30pm

• The branch surgery on Savile Road is open every morning between 8.30 am and 12 noon Monday to Friday and Monday afternoons from 3pm to 6.30pm
• Extended Hours are at Savile Road on Monday until 7.30pm and at Thornhill Lees on Thursday and Friday until 7.30pm.

Appointments are available from:

Savile Road Surgery

• Mon 9am to 12pm
• Tues 9am to 10:30am
• Weds 9am to 10:30am
• Thurs 9am to 12pm
• Fri 9am to 10:30am

Thornhill Lees Surgery Appointment Hours:

• Mon 12:30 to 1:30pm and 3pm to 7:30pm
• Tues 11am to 1:30pm and 3pm to 6:30pm
• Weds 11am to 1pm and 2pm to 4pm
• Thurs 12:30 to 1:30pm and 3pm to 7pm
• Fri 11am to 12pm and 3pm to 7:30pm

• The branch practice has been extensively renovated and is fully accessible.
• When the practice is closed calls are transferred to the NHS 111 service who will triage the call and pass the details to Local Care Direct who is the out of ours provider for North Kirklees.
• The location is on the third most deprived decile in the scale of deprivation. Levels of unemployment are twice the national average. Forty six percent of patients are from BME populations.

Updated 21 October 2016

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Thornhill Lees Medical Centre on 9 August 2016. 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.

• The practice carried out regular medicines audits, with the support of the local CCG pharmacist, to ensure prescribing was in line with best practice guidelines for safe prescribing. The pharmacist told us that the GP was an effective prescriber who engaged well on projects to improve prescribing.
• Staff assessed patients’ needs and delivered care in line with current evidence based guidance. Staff had been trained to provide them with 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. Improvements were made to the quality of care as a result of complaints and concerns.
• Patients said they found it easy to make an appointment with a named GP and there was continuity of care, with urgent appointments available the same day.
• The practice offered extended hours appointments on a Monday, Thursday and Friday evening until 7.30pm for working patients who could not attend during normal opening hours.
• The practice had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs.
• The practice had extensively renovated the branch surgery and installed an accessible bathroom at the main surgery. A lift was installed at the branch practice and all services at the main surgery were at ground floor level.
• 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.

The areas where the provider should make improvements are:

• Review the arrangements in place for the periodic testing of all portable electrical equipment.
• Review the labelling arrangements for clinical waste bags to be able to identify the source of the waste in line with current legislation and guidance.
• Assess whether non-clinical long standing members of staff should have DBS checks.
• The practice should risk assess the need for emergency oxygen to be kept on the premises.
• Provide safeguarding training for the healthcare assistant to level two.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Updated 21 October 2016

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

• The GP worked closely with the practice nurse and the healthcare assistant in chronic disease management and patients at risk of hospital admission were identified as a priority.
• The practice worked closely with the community matron in the management of housebound patients who had complex long term conditions, to ensure they received the care and support they needed.
• The GP was the diabetic lead and could initiate diabetic medication. Performance for diabetes related indicators was better than the national average. Data showed that 97% of patients with diabetes had a record of a foot examination and risk classification in the preceding 12 months (CCG average 89%, national average 88%).
• Longer appointments and home visits were available when needed.
• All these patients had a named GP and a structured annual review to check their health and medicines needs were being met. For those patients with the most complex needs, the named GP worked with relevant health and care professionals to deliver a multidisciplinary package of care.

Updated 21 October 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 accident and emergency (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.
• The practice’s uptake for the cervical screening programme was 81%, which was comparable to the CCG and national average of 82%.
• Appointments were available outside of school hours and the premises were suitable for children and babies.
• Appointments were available with both male and female GPs.
• We saw positive examples of joint working with midwives, health visitors and school nurses.

Updated 21 October 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.
• The practice was responsive to the needs of older people, and offered home visits and urgent appointments for those with enhanced needs.
• The practice encouraged its patients to attend national screening programmes for bowel and breast cancer screening. Uptake rates for screening were low. For example, 41% of patients aged 60 to 69 were screened for bowel cancer in the preceding 30 months (CCG average 55%, national average 58%).
• Older people with frequent hospital accident and emergency (A&E) or out-of-hours contact were included on the avoiding unplanned admissions register. This provided patients with priority for appointments and an individual care plan which enhanced GP awareness of any specific needs.

Updated 21 October 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.
• The practice offered telephone consultations for patients who couldn’t attend the surgery.
• The practice offered extended hours appointments on a Monday, Thursday and Friday evening until 7.30pm for working patients who could not attend during normal opening hours.

Updated 21 October 2016

The practice is rated as good for the care of people experiencing poor mental health (including people with dementia).

• 100% of patients diagnosed with dementia had their care reviewed in a face to face meeting in the last 12 months, which is better than the CCG average of 83% and the national average of 84%.
• Data showed that 94% of patients with schizophrenia, bipolar affective disorder and other psychoses had a comprehensive care plan documented in the record, in the preceding 12 months (CCG average 89%, national average 88%).
• The practice regularly worked with multi-disciplinary teams in the case management of patients experiencing poor mental health, including those with dementia.
• The practice 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.
• The practice had a system in place to follow up patients who had attended accident and emergency where they may have been experiencing poor mental health.
• Staff had a good understanding of how to support patients with mental health needs and dementia.

Updated 21 October 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 offered longer appointments for patients with a learning disability.
• The practice regularly worked with other health care professionals in the case management of vulnerable patients.
• The practice informed 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.