Archived: DeMontfort Surgery

Updated 21 May 2015

De Montfort Surgery is situated in Leicester City with 16,837 patients. The practice operates from a modern purpose built premises on Mill Lane, with disabled access. There are car parking spaces designated for use by people with a disability near the surgery entrance. There is no non-disabled parking on site.

Around half the patients are students at De Montfort University. The practice has a student demographic of black minority ethnic (BME) from relatively socially deprived backgrounds. There are overseas students with different health care experiences and expectations and 21% patients with English not their first language. There are 41% patients’ aged 20-24 year olds. This figure is higher than the average for practices in the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and in England.

The service is provided by five GP partners and six salaried GPs. They provide 71 GP sessions per week. There are seven female and four male GPs. There is three practice nurses, one health care assistant, one phlebotomist, a practice manager and business manager. They are supported by reception and administration staff. The practice also employs a chiropractor and physiotherapist. The practice teaches undergraduate medical students and participates in selected research studies.

The practice opted out of providing the out-of-hours service. This service is provided by the out-of-hours NHS 111 service. The practice holds the following contract: Personal Medical Services (PMS) to provide personal medical services. The practice works with Leicester City CCG (Clinical Commission Group). A CCG is an NHS organisation that brings together GPs and health professionals to take on commissioning responsibilities for local health services.

Updated 21 May 2015

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at De Montfort Surgery on 7 January 2015. Overall the practice is rated as good.

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

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

• 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.
• Patients with Chinese as their first language were provided with translated new patient’s registration forms to welcome and familiarise themselves with the practice.
• Patients’ needs were assessed and care was planned and delivered following best practice guidance.
• 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.
• A mental health worker and counsellor held regular clinics at the practice to support patients.
• 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.

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

Importantly the provider should

• Update arrangements processes and systems to ensure that emergency medicines and equipment are available for the doctor’s bags.
• Ensure staff receive training appropriate to their roles; and any further training needs identified and planned for.
• Some of the policies and procedures needed review including the infection control policy. This should include how often the infection prevention risk assessments or audits are undertaken in order to maintain cleanliness and hygiene standards; and fire procedures.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Updated 21 May 2015

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. Longer appointments and home visits were available when needed. All these patients had a named GP and a structured annual review to check that their health and medication needs were being met. For those people with the most complex needs, the named GP worked with relevant health and care professionals to deliver a multidisciplinary package of care.

Updated 21 May 2015

The practice is rated as good for the population group of families, children and young people. Systems were in place 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. The GP safeguarding lead regularly met with the other professionals to discuss looked after children, vulnerable younger people and mothers and children on the safeguarding register to share information, concerns, and best ways to support families. The practice worked in partnership with De Montfort University Welfare staff, midwives and health visitors. Appointments were available outside of school hours to enable children to attend. Emergency processes were in place and referrals made for children and pregnant women who had a sudden deterioration in health.

The practice promoted good health within its younger population group. Examples included offering a confidential service to young people by providing full sexual health screening and the availability of private facilities for self-testing for chlamydia. In addition offering counselling for abortion requests.

Updated 21 May 2015

The practice is rated as good for the care of older people. Nationally reported data showed that outcomes for patients were good for conditions commonly found in older people. The practice offered proactive, personalised care to meet the needs of the older people in its population and had a range of enhanced services, for example, in dementia and end of life care. It was responsive to the needs of older people, and offered home visits and rapid access appointments for those with enhanced needs.

Updated 21 May 2015

The practice is rated as good for the population group of the working-age people (including those recently retired and students). The practice provided extended opening hours to enable patients to attend in early morning or in the evening. Patients were also offered telephone consultations and were able to book non-urgent appointments around their working day by telephone, and on line. The practice offered a choose and book service for patients referred to secondary services, which enabled them greater flexibility over when and where their test took place. NHS health checks were offered to patients over 40 years. The practice offered health promotion and screening appropriate to the needs for this age group.

Updated 21 May 2015

Staff had received training on how to care for people with mental health needs. The practice held a register of patients experiencing poor mental health. Patients were offered an annual health check review including a review of their medicines to ensure that medicines were prescribed appropriately and safely. A mental health worker and counsellor held regular clinics at the practice to support patients. The practice worked with multi-disciplinary teams in the case management of people experiencing poor mental health, to ensure their needs were regularly reviewed, and that appropriate risk assessments and care plans were in place. Patients were supported to access emergency care and treatment when experiencing a mental health crisis.

Updated 21 May 2015

The practice is rated as good for the population group of people whose circumstances may make them vulnerable. The practice held a register of patients living in vulnerable circumstances including people with learning disabilities. Patients with a learning disability were offered an annual health review, including a review of their medication. When needed longer appointments and home visits were available. The practice worked with multi-disciplinary teams in the case management of people in vulnerable circumstances and at risk of abuse. Carers of vulnerable patients were identified and offered support. Alcohol and drug abuse services were available to patients. A smoking cessation service was also available.