Archived: Quarry Bank Medical Centre

Updated 9 January 2017

Quarry Bank Medical Centre is a long established practice located in the area of Brierley Hill, in the West Midlands. There are approximately 3,855 patients of various ages registered and cared for at the practice. Services to patients are provided under a General Medical Services (GMS) contract with NHS England. The practice has expanded its contracted obligations to provide enhanced services to patients. An enhanced service is above the contractual requirement of the practice and is commissioned to improve the range of services available to patients.

The clinical team includes two GP partners (one male and one female), a female salaried GP, a practice nurse and a health care assistant. The GP partners and the practice manager form the management team and they are supported by a team of five support staff who cover reception, secretarial and administration roles.

The practice is open between 8am and 6:30pm during weekdays, except for Mondays when the practice is open until 8pm. On Mondays, appointments are available from 9am to 12pm and then from 1:30pm through to 7:30pm, as extended hours. Appointments are available between 9am until 6pm on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. On Thursdays and Fridays appointments run from 9am to 12pm and then from 2pm until 6pm.

There is a GP on call each morning between 8am and 9am and then during the day on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays when appointments are closed for part of the afternoon. There are also arrangements to ensure patients received urgent medical assistance when the practice is closed during the out-of-hours period.

Updated 9 January 2017

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Quarry Bank Medical Centre on 6 December 2016. Overall the practice is rated as good.

Our key findings across all the areas we inspected were as follows:

• Patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and they were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment. We saw that staff were friendly and helpful and treated patients with kindness and respect.

• Audits were used to monitor quality and to make improvements. The practice was proactive in identifying, managing and learning from significant events.

• We observed the premises to be visibly clean and tidy. Risks to patients and staff were assessed and well managed.

• Staff spoken with demonstrated a commitment to providing a high quality service to patients.

• Patients could access appointments and services in a way and at a time that suited them.

• There were longer appointments available for patients when needed. Urgent access appointments were available for children and those with serious medical conditions.

• Clinical staff carried out home visits for older patients and patients who would benefit from these.

• Results were circulated and discussed in the practice.

• The practice had an active patient participation group (PPG) which influenced practice development. The group was also actively working on recruiting more members.

The areas where the provider should make improvements are:

• Continue to identify carers in order to provide further support where needed.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Updated 9 January 2017

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

• We saw evidence that multi-disciplinary team meetings took place on a monthly basis with regular representation from other health and social care services.

• Performance for overall diabetes related indicators was 99%, compared to the CCG average of 86% and national average of 89%.

• The percentage of patients with hypertension having regular blood pressure tests was 100%, with 2% exception reporting.
• We saw that regular reviews and discussions took place to understand and meet the range and complexity of people’s needs and to assess and plan ongoing care and treatment.

Updated 9 January 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.

• The practice offered urgent access appointments for children, as well as those with serious medical conditions.

• Childhood immunisation rates for under two year olds ranged from 71% to 100% compared to the CCG averages which ranged from 74% to 98%.
• Data from 2015/16 showed that the practice’s uptake for the cervical screening programme was 100% with 14% exception reported, compared to the CCG average of 72% and national averages of 73%.

Updated 9 January 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.

• All these patients had a named GP and a structured annual review to check that their health and medicines needs were being met.

• The practice had effective systems in place to identify and assess patients who were at high risk of admission to hospital. Patients who were at risk of admission to hospital and patients who had been discharged from hospital were also discussed on a fortnightly basis.

• It was responsive to the needs of older people, and offered home visits and urgent appointments for those with enhanced needs.
• Phlebotomy was also offered to patients at home, who could not attend the external services for blood tests. Immunisations such as flu and shingles vaccines were also offered to patients at home, such as housebound patients who could not attend the practice.

Updated 9 January 2017

The practice is rated as good for the care of working-age people (including those recently retired and students).

• Patients could access appointments and services in a way and at a time that suited them.

Appointments could be booked over the telephone, face to face and online.

• The practice offered extended hours every Monday between 6:30pm and 8pm to suit their working age population.

• The practice was proactive in offering a full range of health promotion and screening that reflected the needs for this age group.
• Practice data highlighted that they identified and offered smoking cessation advice and support to 85% of their patients and 3% had successfully stopped smoking.

Updated 9 January 2017

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

• The practice regularly worked with other health and social care organisations in the case management of people experiencing poor mental health, including those with dementia.

• There were 21 patients on the practices register for dementia. Practice data highlighted that 81% of these patients had care plans in place and 100% received medication reviews where eligible within a 12 month period. Data showed that appropriate diagnosis rates for patients identified with dementia were 99%, compared to the CCG average of 81% and national average of 96%.

• Performance for mental health related indicators was 88%, compared to the CCG average of 74% and national average of 92%.
• The practice also supported patients by referring them to a gateway worker who provided counselling services on a weekly basis in the practice.

Updated 9 January 2017

The practice is rated as good for the care of people whose circumstances may make them vulnerable.

• There were 26 patients registered at the practice with a learning disability. Practice data highlighted that 88% received medication reviews where eligible within a 12 month period and there was an active ongoing programme of recalling patients to attend their reviews.

• Phlebotomy was offered to vulnerable patients at home, who could not attend the external services for blood tests. Immunisations such as flu and shingles vaccines were also offered to vulnerable patients at home, such as housebound patients who could not attend the practice.

• The practice had 31 patients on their palliative care register. The data provided by the practice highlighted that 100% of these patients had a care plan in place and 90% had received a review in a 12 month period and there were further reviews planned.
• The practice proactively utilised the local Integrated Plus scheme. This scheme was facilitated by the Dudley Council for Voluntary Service (CVS) team to help to provide social support to people who were living in vulnerable or isolated circumstances.