North Trafford Group Practice

Updated 14 February 2017

North Trafford Group Practice has two locations. Chester Road Surgery is the main location based on the A56 Chester Road in Stretford. The branch surgery is located within Seymour Grove Health Centre which is owned by NHS England property services. They provide services under a General Medical Services Contract to just fewer than 10,000 patients within the boundaries of Stretford and Firswood. Both buildings have wheelchair access, toilets suitable for the disabled and at Chester Road a lift to the first floor where the nurses’ rooms are situated.

There is a lower than average population of people over the age of 50 registered at the practice which is situated in an area at number 4 on the deprivation scale (the lower the number, the higher the deprivation). People living in more deprived areas tend to have greater need for health services.

The practice team has undergone a period of instability but is now improving and there are three male and two female permanent GPs along with a consistent team of agency nursing staff and a part time health care assistant. The clinicians are supported by a full time practice manager, an office manager, secretarial, reception and administration staff.

The practice is part of the North Trafford practice managers’ forum which consists of 12 GP practices that regularly meet to share information and identify best practice.

Opening hours are as follows :

Monday  08:00 - 18:30

Tuesday  08:00 - 18:30

Wednesday  08:00 - 18:30

Thursday  08:00 - 18:30

Friday  08:00 - 18:30

Saturday  Closed       Sunday  Closed

GP surgery times are 9.00am until 12.30pm and 3.30pm until 6.00pm each day. The surgery offers extended hours each Monday evening from 6.30pm until 8.10pm. When the practice is closed patients are directed to the out of hours’ service provided by Mastercall and the GP Walk In Centre located at Trafford General Hospital.

Updated 14 February 2017

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at North Trafford Group Practice on 19 January 2015. The overall rating for the practice was requires improvement because improvements were required in the safe and well led domains. The full comprehensive report of the January 2015 inspection can be found by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for North Trafford Group Practice on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

This inspection was undertaken following a period to allow the practice to improve and was an announced comprehensive inspection which we carried out on 5 January 2017. Overall the practice is now rated as Good.

Our key findings were as follows:

• There was an open and transparent approach to safety and an effective system in place for reporting and recording significant events.
• The practice had improved the systems they had in place to assess and manage risks to patients and these were now well managed.

• 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 had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs.
• Although they continued to have problems maintaining a stable workforce, there was a clear leadership structure and staff felt supported by management. The leaders were working together and proactively sought feedback from staff and patients to improve any concerns.
• The provider was aware of and complied with the requirements of the duty of candour.

We also saw areas where the practice should make improvements :

• The practice should continue to seek a stable workforce particularly in relation to nursing staff, fully identify and utilise all staff skills and improve communication through consistently documented meetings.
• The practice should continue to work towards better outcomes for people experiencing poor mental health (including people with dementia).

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Updated 14 February 2017

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

• Agency 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. 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 had identified where outcomes needed to improve such as diabetes and hypertension and had increased the ways they contacted patients for review to include mail, text, notes on prescriptions and opportunistic discussions.

Updated 14 February 2017

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.
• 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 percentage of women aged 25-64 whose notes recorded that a cervical screening test has been performed in the preceding 5 years was 77% compared to the local average of 82% and the national average of 81%.
• A mixture of morning, afternoon and late appointments were available and the premises were suitable for children and babies.
• We saw positive examples of joint working with midwives, district nurses and health visitors and the practice used the children’s community nursing team to help support those patients with eczema, asthma, enuresis, constipation and also chronic health problems.

Updated 14 February 2017

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 including screening for dementia.
• The practice was responsive to the needs of older people, and offered home visits and urgent appointments for those with enhanced needs.
• All patients over the age of 75 have a named GP.
• Home visits are carried out for those flu vaccinations and reviews for older patients and others who cannot attend the surgery.
• Electro cardiograms (ECGs), ultrasound scanning and 24 hour blood pressure monitoring are carried out on site are hosted on site.

Updated 14 February 2017

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.
• A mixture of early, midday and late appointments were available as well as a late surgery each Monday between 6.30pm and 8pm with a GP and a health care assistant. Appointments were also available at the local hub.
• Joint injections and minor surgery were available in house.

Updated 14 February 2017

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

• The percentage of patients diagnosed with dementia whose care plan had been reviewed in a face-to-face meeting in the preceding 12 months was 70% compared to the CCG average of 81% and the national average of 83%.
• The practice 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 and arranged prescriptions in blister packs for ease of use.
• The practice had told patients experiencing poor mental health about how to access various support groups and voluntary organisations including the early intervention team for younger patients and the South Asian mental health support service. 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. However performance for mental health related indicators was worse than average at 62% which was 30% lower than the CCG and national averages. Action was being taken to improve outcomes.

Updated 14 February 2017

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.
• Two of the GPs were able to speak many of the languages common in the local area.