Archived: College Health Ltd Sterling House

Updated 23 April 2015

College Health Sterling House is located on an industrial estate about two miles from Chatham town center. The practice is run by College Health Limited, a private limited company. The directors of College Health Ltd are all GPs and supervise the services at College Health Sterling House. There is limited parking nearby.

The practice has an alternative provider medical services contract with NHS England for delivering primary care services to local communities. The practice has a “sister” practice about two miles away in the center of the town. This is also operated by College Health Ltd and the lists of the two practices are combined. Patients on either practice’s list can attend either surgery. Staff work at both sites and the computer systems for the sites are linked. There are male and female locum and salaried GPs. There is a female practice nurse. Across both sites the practice provides between 25 and 30 GP sessions and 26 nurse sessions, which includes 10 sessions by an advanced nurse practitioner, each week. An advanced nurse practitioner is a registered nurse who has acquired the expert knowledge base, complex decision-making skills and clinical competencies for expanded practice.

The practice is situated in a densely populated urban area and has a registered patient population of approximately 2,200, all located within the town. The practice has more patients in older age groups and more in the younger age groups than the national average. For example the practice has about 600 patients under 18 years old. There is a considerable student population. The number of patients recognised as suffering deprivation is the same as the local average but higher than the national average. The number of patients with long term medical conditions is more than the CCG average and more than the national average.

Services are delivered from

College Health Ltd,

Sterling House,

Second Avenue,

Chatham,

Kent,

ME4 5AU.

The practice has opted out of providing out-of-hours services to their own patients. Information is available to patients about how to contact the local out of hours services.

Updated 23 April 2015

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at College Health Ltd Sterling House on 4 November 2014. Overall the practice is rated as good.

Specifically, we found the practice to be good for providing safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led service. It was also good for providing services for the care of older people, for people with long term conditions, for families, children and young people, for working-age people (including those recently retired and students) and for people experiencing poor mental health (including people with dementia). It was outstanding for people whose circumstances may make them vulnerable.

• 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.
• Risks to patients were assessed and well managed, with the exception of those relating to recruitment checks.
• 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.
• 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 said they found it easy to make an appointment with a named GP and that 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.
• 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.

We saw one area of outstanding practice namely:

• The practice had collaborated with a local charity support and promote the health of people who were homeless or living in temporary accommodation

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

Importantly the provider should

• Have an overall training plan which identifies staff mandatory training requirements
• Ensure that all staff receive mandatory training and that comprehensive training records are maintained

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Updated 23 April 2015

The practice is rated as good for the population group of people with long term conditions. There were emergency processes for patients in this group who had a sudden deterioration in health. When needed, longer appointments and home visits were available. There were structured annual reviews to check their health and medication 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 23 April 2015

The practice is rated as good for the population group of families, children and young people. There were systems for identifying and following-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. Patients told us and we saw evidence that children and young people were treated in an age appropriate way and recognised as individuals. Appointments were available outside of school hours and the premises were suitable for children and babies. There were emergency processes for children and pregnant women who had a sudden deterioration in health.

Updated 23 April 2015

The practice is rated as good for the care of older people. Nationally reported data showed the practice had good outcomes for conditions commonly found amongst older people. The practice offered personalised care to meet the needs of the older people. It had a range of enhanced services, for example in dementia and end of life care. The practice was responsive to the needs of older people, including offering home visits and rapid access appointments for those who needed them.

Updated 23 April 2015

The practice is rated as good for the population group of the 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 and flexible. The practice offered online services as well as a full range of health promotion and screening which reflects the needs for this age group.

Updated 23 April 2015

The practice is rated as good for the population group of people experiencing poor mental health (including people with dementia. The practice regularly worked with the community psychiatric nurses and psychiatrists to manage the treatment of patients experiencing poor mental health including those with dementia. The practice had reviewed the A&E attendance of patients experiencing poor mental health. The practice had advance care planning for patients with dementia.

Updated 23 April 2015

The practice is rated as good for the population group of people whose circumstances may make them vulnerable. The practice had a register of patients living in vulnerable circumstances including homeless people and those with learning disabilities. The practice had carried out annual health checks for people with learning disabilities. The practice offered longer appointments for people with learning disabilities. The practice had named GPs or nurses for some of the most vulnerable of these patients. The practice had collaborated with a local charity support and promote the health of people who were homeless or living in temporary accommodation