Updated 8 February 2019
In 2017, The Bondgate Practice merged with the Infirmary Drive Medical Group, to form a new organisation, Alnwick Medical Group. The practice covers a largely rural area and provides care and treatment for 18,464 patients. The main surgery is based in the centre of Alnwick, with branch surgeries in Seahouses, Embleton and Longhoughton. The main practice and branch surgeries provide dispensing services. This means under certain criteria they can supply eligible patients with medicines directly. All patients registered can access services at the main site in Alnwick or at any of the three branches. The practice is commissioned to provide services under the terms of a General Medical Services (GMS) Agreement with NHS England and is a member of the Northumberland clinical commissioning group (CCG). Currently, GP services are not provided from the Embleton and Longhoughton branch surgeries.
We visited the following locations as part of our inspection:
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The Alnwick Practice, Infirmary Close, Alnwick, Northumberland, NE66 2NL.
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Seahouses Surgery, The Health Centre, James Street, Seahouses, Northumberland, NE68 7XZ.
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Longhoughton Surgery, 4-6 Portal Place, Longhoughton, Northumberland, NE66 3JN.
The provider is registered with the CQC to deliver the following regulated activities: diagnostic and screening procedures, family planning services, maternity and midwifery services and treatment of disease, disorder or injury.
The main site in Alnwick is located next to the local community hospital. All patient services are delivered from two buildings. The lower building is purpose built and provides eighteen consulting rooms on the ground floor that are fully accessible. The upper building is also purpose built and provides fourteen fully accessible consulting rooms.
The Seahouses branch surgery is a purpose-built facility that is shared with another practice. Some consultation and treatment rooms are shared with the other GP practice. There are good access facilities for patients with disabilities and services are delivered on the ground floor. Services provided included: a dispensary; access to GPs, advanced nurse practitioner and healthcare assistant appointments; provision of home visits; reception services.
The Embleton branch is purpose built and based in a residential area, all facilities are on the ground floor. There are two consulting rooms, two treatment rooms and a large waiting area. There are good access facilities for patients with disabilities. Services provided included: a dispensary; access to healthcare assistant appointments; provision of home visits; reception services.
The Longhoughton Surgery is based in a residential area of Longhoughton, where the families of those serving at the local Royal Air Force (RAF) base live. Medical services are provided to local people and the families of those serving at the RAF base. Services provided included: a dispensary; access to healthcare assistant appointments; provision of home visits and reception services. The premises are rented from the RAF. The rental agreement does not allow the practice to make any changes to the property, to make it more suitable as a location for delivering primary healthcare. Access for patients with disabilities is limited. Leaders are working with their partners to identify a more suitable site. In addition, leaders have been successful in making a bid to acquire extra funds to help them make, where possible, improvements at this and the other branch surgeries.
The practice has: six GP partners (three male and three female), five GP associates (two male and three female), three prescribing advanced nurse practitioners, seven practice nurses (female), five healthcare assistants and one trainee (female), a paramedic (male), a data quality manager, an IT manager, two medicines managers, eleven dispensers, a practice manager and a team of 35 covering reception and back office administration. The practice is a teaching practice and provides placements for trainee doctors, and medical and nursing students. Two of the GPs are qualified as GPs with a Special Interest.
The National General Practice Profile for the practice states that 98.9% of the practice population is from a white background. Other ethnic groupings are as follows: 0.5% are from an Asian background; and a further 0.6% of the population are from black, mixed or other non-white ethnic groups. Information published by Public Health England rates the level of deprivation within the practice population group as seven, on a scale of one to ten. Level one represents the highest levels of deprivation and level ten the lowest. Male life expectancy is 79 years compared to the national average of 79.2 years. Female life expectancy is 83.6 years compared to the national average of 83.3 years. The practice has fewer patients under 18 years of age, and more patients over 65 years of age, than the England averages.