Wellfield Health Centre

Updated 15 September 2016

Wellfield Health Centre provides primary medical services in Rochdale, Greater Manchester from Monday to Friday. The practice is open between 8.00am and 6.00pm. The first appointment of the day with a GP is 8.00am and the last appointment with a GP is 5.30pm.

Wellfield Health Centre is situated within the geographical area of Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).

The practice has a General Medical Services (GMS) contract. The GMS contract is the contract between general practices and NHS England for delivering primary care services to local communities.

Wellfield Health Centre is responsible for providing care to 12993 patients.

The practice consists of seven GP partners five male and two female, three practice nurses, a staff nurse, two health care assistants and a phlebotomist. The practice is supported by a practice manager and assistant, a prescriptions manager and an administration team including secretaries and receptionists.

When the practice is closed patients are directed to the out of hour’s service BARDOC.

The practice is part of a group of practices who offer appointments to a GP and practice nurse seven days a week.

The practice is a teaching practice regularly taking students from Manchester University. The practice had received excellent feedback directly from the students.

The practice participated in charity events to raise money in memory of a healthcare colleague who sadly passed away.

Updated 15 September 2016

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Wellfield Health Centre on  3 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 however documentation relating to staff immunisation status was incomplete.

• 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 difficult to make an appointment because of the telephone system but there was continuity of care, with urgent appointments available the same day. A new telephone system had been chosen and was to be installed in October.
• The practice had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs.
• The practice loaned equipment to patients such as blood pressure monitors and glucometers.
• 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 area where the provider should make improvements:

• Check the immunisation status for staff or carry out a risk assessment.

Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Updated 15 September 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.
• The percentage of patients with diabetes, on the register, whose last measured total cholesterol (measured within the preceding 12 months) was 5 mmol or less was 76% which was comparable to the CCG average of 79%.
• The practice held a pre diabetic register and developed a protocol for monitoring patients to avoid the onset of diabetes.
• 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.
• The practice website had advice and links to other resources.
• Patients were able use equipment such as blood pressure monitors and glucomonitors on loan from the surgery.

Updated 15 September 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 relatively high for all standard childhood immunisations.
• The practice recorded family details and informed the health visitors of all new children registered.
• 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.
• 70.5% of women aged between 25 and 64 had their notes recorded that a cervical screening test had been performed in the preceding five years which was lower than the national average of 82%. We saw evidence that the percentage of women screened had increased to 72% in the following year to March 2016.
• NHS health checks were offered to children and appointments were available outside of school hours to allow this. The premises were suitable for children and babies.
• We saw positive examples of joint working with midwives, health visitors and school nurses.
• The practice offered full contraceptive services including the fitting of coils and implants.
• Children under the age of 12 years were prioritised for same day appointments if needed.
• Patients were signposted to Care at the Chemist if appropriate.
• There was a young person’s noticeboard in the waiting area which signposted young patients to other relevant services available.
• Baby changing and breast feeding facilities were available.

Updated 15 September 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.
• Over 50% of patients over the age of 75 years had a personalised care plan which ensured regular reviews of clinical and social needs and prompt reviews following any hospital admission.
• All patients over the age of 75 years had a named GP.
• The practice had a dedicated nurse to carry out dementia reviews and signposting to relevant support services.
• There were close links with the Urgent Community Care services.
• The practice held a register of all housebound patients. These patients were offered a home visit service which included a phlebotomy service and immunisations appropriate for the age group.
• The practice embraced the Gold Standards Framework for end of life care. This included supporting patients’ choice to receive end of life care at home.
• The practice carried out annual health reviews for all nursing home patients.
• Patients that had been identified as isolated or who had been recently bereaved were invited to a small party last December where a choir from one of the local primary schools sang carols.
• The practice had a register of carers whose needs were identified and signposted to further support available to them.
• The practice nurse ran a weekly walking group for elderly patients.

Updated 15 September 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.
• Telephone consultations and advice and some reviews for long term conditions were offered to patients who found it difficult to attend the surgery during normal working hours.
• Patients were able to use on line services such as booking appointments and ordering repeat prescriptions. Prescriptions could be sent to a pharmacy of their choice, near to a patient’s workplace, to be collected if requested.
• The practice was part of a group of local practices who offered access to a GP and nurse every weekday evening and at weekends.
• Last year the practice held a Health Check day on a Saturday for their hard to reach patients. The event was attended by representatives from the British Heart Foundation, Adult Care Services and the Carers Resource Centre.

Updated 15 September 2016

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

• 80% of patients diagnosed with dementia who had their care reviewed in a face to face meeting in the last 12 months, which is comparable to the national average of 84%.
• 88% of patients with schizophrenia, bipolar affective disorder and other psychoses had a comprehensive, agreed care plan documented in their record in the preceding 12 months which is the same as the national average of 88%.
• One of the GPs was the mental health lead for the practice and had carried out annual reviews for 94% for those on the register.
• 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.
• Patients were signposted to other support services such as Big White Wall, Living Well, Healthy Minds, Hype and Thrive.

Updated 15 September 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, military veterans, patients with drug or alcohol dependence and those with a learning disability.
• The practice offered longer appointments for patients with a learning disability.
• Personal care plans were in place for the 3% most vulnerable patients.
• 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.
• The practice issued weekly prescriptions for those patients who were at risk of abusing medication.