Our services
CQC: Care Quality Commission
CQC or the Care Quality Commission is the regulating body that assesses all health services from nursing homes through to dental practices, GP surgeries through to hospitals.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) monitors, inspects and regulates health and adult social care services in England to make sure that they provide safe, high-quality care meeting their ‘fundamental standards’. This includes nursing homes through to dental practices, GP surgeries through to hospitals. The Southern Hampshire Primary Care Alliance is a newer type of organisation called a Primary Care/GP Federation. As a provider of NHS services, we are registered with the CQC and regulated by them.
CQC rate health care services and publish this data for the public who may wish to view it to explore the standards of care in services near them. They work with organisations to help improve services, make recommendations on how to improve and have legal powers to take action if they have serious concerns about a service.
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CQC also talk to service users, carers, relatives, patient participation groups, staff and employers to gather subjective evidence of services as well as assess processes, consultations and reporting.
Find out more at www.cqc.org.uk.
The CQC inspected our services for the first time in July 2019 and we are delighted to have received an overall ‘Good’ rating. We have had a follow up inspection on 5th May 2021 and was again rated as ‘Good’.
As a young, fast-growing, newer ‘type’ of organisation, we have been one of the first to be inspected by the CQC team using their fundamental standards. We are pleased to report we have found the process incredibly useful. It has helped us identify our strengths and areas for improvement in our systems and processes that ensure safe quality patient care. Since our inspection, we have been working hard on these areas of improvement and have been in regular contact with our inspectors to update them.
If you would like to view the full CQC reports on our services (published 28th May 2021) please click on the link here.
GPEA: Enhanced Access
On the 1st October 2022, SHPCA went live with the Enhanced Access service for numerous PCNs across the southern Hampshire area.
The Enhanced Access contact follows what was previously known as Integrated Primary Care Access Service (IPCAS) and Extended Access contract.
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The aim of the service is to:
- Provide enhanced access to Primary Care for our local population
- Increase local access to primary care for routine and urgent needs
- Improve flexibility and patient choice by providing local care specific to the needs of the individual with access to the right help at the right time in the right place.
This service is provided from the two locations below, with virtual consultations also offered within this.
- Forton Medical Centre
- Waterlooville Health Centre
A variety of appointment types are offered on behalf of the PCN’s. Please note not all PCNs offer all of these appointment types;
- GP/ANP Face-to Face
- GP/ANP virtual appointments (telephone, video consultation)
- Smear clinics
- HCA clinics
- Practice nurse clinics
CAS 111
SHPCA run a 111 Clinical Assessment Service (CAS) in partnership with the national 111 service. This service allows for a higher level of clinical expertise in assessing patient medical needs. This expertise is used to ensure that patients are directed efficiently and effectively into the into the most appropriate onward care pathway.
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Our CAS service is staffed with General Practitioners, Authorised Nurse Practitioners and Pharmacist
CAS models
Telephone/Video assessment service
A telephone/video assessment service operates by taking referral information and then using either a telephone or a video consultation with the patient to gain additional clinical information to help determine the correct onward pathway. The booked appointment date is then agreed with the patient and the process clearly defined so that the patient understands what steps need to be taken to attend their virtual appointment.
Patient physically seen (face-to-face CAS)
In this model, the patient attends the booked appointment and is assessed and/or treated by a clinical specialist. The patient may then be referred to another service (such as in the community, or in a secondary care setting), or advice may be sent back to the patient’s referring clinician to assist with on-going management.
With all of the above service models, it is important that the patient is fully involved in agreeing the onward pathway and booking the appointment. Where this results in a referral to secondary care, a choice of provider should be offered, in line with patients’ rights under the NHS Constitution.
Virtual Ward
As an Alliance, we were tasked by our Integrated Care Board to set up the Virtual Ward Oximetry Monitoring service to help patients across the South East of Hampshire, who meet the admission criteria of over 65 or under 65 or vulnerable due to pre-existing conditions.
Patients are admitted into our ‘virtual ward’ for regular monitoring and early detection of silent hypoxia which can lead to otherwise undetected deterioration in condition.
There is a very real need for Virtual Wards to support patients to remain at home whilst immediately identifying a deterioration in oxygen saturation levels (silent hypoxia). This is an indication of an overall decline in the patient’s health, though the patient may be unaware. These actions will ensure the patient receives correct and timely treatment and are not subject to an unnecessary stay in hospital.
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Patients are referred either by their GP practice, a clinician in the 111 service, local hospitals or via our clinicians in services such our Extended Access Out of Hours service and in collaboration with Partnering Health Ltd.
Once referred, patients are provided with a pack including a pulse oximeter. The oximeter is used by the patient to provide several readings throughout the day which are then analysed by our trained clinicians. Our clinicians remain in regular contact and conversation with patients to ensure that the patient experience and journey is of the highest quality.
Cardiology
The Southern Hampshire Primary Care Alliance are commissioned to provide a cardiology service for patients with non-urgent heart-related problems.
This service is provided by Consultants from Portsmouth Cardiac Associates and all referrals are via the patients GP and sent electronically to the service.
The Cardiology service is designed to be able to investigate:
- Palpitations, Syncope, and Dizzy spells
- Suspected Heart Murmurs
- Breathlessness with an unidentified cause
- Atrial Fibrillation – for assessment of stroke prevention and possible cardioversion
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- Pre-existing known cardiac conditions which are deteriorating
- Family History of Cardiac problems
Definite exclusions are:
- All cardiac emergencies
- Chest pain
- Urgent/emergency referrals
- Children under the age of 18
Cardiology Referrals
When your GP has referred you to see a Cardiologist within one of our clinics, prior to being seen, your referral will be “triaged” by one of the consultants who decide which tests may need to be carried out before attending the clinic.
Tests that are available locally are 24-hour cardiac monitoring, Echocardiogram & ECG.
You may be asked to keep a ‘diary’ while you’re wearing the device and make a note of any times when you have symptoms. This can help when your results are analysed.