Willington Surgery

On this page

• Overview
• Kindness, compassion and dignity
• Treating people as individuals
• Independence, choice and control
• Responding to people’s immediate needs
• Workforce wellbeing and enablement

We looked for evidence that the service involved people and treated them with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.

At our last assessment, we rated this key question as good. At this assessment, the rating remains the same.

This service scored 75 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The service treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. Staff treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect. We observed staff treating people with kindness and respect within the waiting room. Feedback from people who used the service was positive. Many people praised the professionalism, empathy and efficiency of the medical staff, including doctors, nurses and pharmacists. The majority of feedback about reception staff was positive, although some people expressed frustration, citing instances of perceived rudeness and unhelpfulness.

National GP Patient Survey data reflected people felt listened to and were treated with kindness. For example, 88% of respondents stated that during their last appointment, the healthcare professional was very good or fairly good at treating them with care and concern. This was in line with the national average of 86%. In addition, 78% of respondents responded positively to the overall experience of their GP practice, again in line with the national average of 74%.

Staff that chaperoned were aware of their responsibilities in maintaining a person’s dignity and safety during an intimate examination.

The service treated people as individuals and made sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences. People’s communication needs were met to enable them to be fully involved in their care. People were asked at registration about their first language and a person’s preferred method of communication was recorded on their electronic record.

National GP Patient Survey data reflected that people felt involved in decisions about their care. For example, 88% of respondents stated that during their last appointment they were involved as much as they wanted to be in decisions about their care and treatment. This was in line with the national average of 91%.

The service had identified 325 people registered with the service as carers which was 3.1% of the practice population. Carers were offered health checks and vaccinations, and could be referred to the social prescriber or care co-ordinator for information and guidance on support available to them.

We did not look at Independence, choice and control during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Caring.

The service listened to and understood people’s needs, views and wishes. Staff responded to people’s needs in the moment and acted to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress. There was a system that ensured people with immediate needs had access to services via the duty doctor. Staff we spoke with knew the process for referral to emergency support.

Feedback from people who used the service was mixed as some people commented on the promptness of appointments, whilst others reported difficulties in scheduling appointments.

The service cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care. Systems were in place to support all staff, including GP registrars and staff working on behalf of but not directly employed by the service.

Leaders had taken steps to recognise and meet the wellbeing needs of staff, which included the necessary resources and facilities for safe working, such as regular breaks and rest areas. Systems were in place for staff to raise ideas, suggestions, or issues what would be discussed at practice meetings. Staff had access to a wellbeing champion and relevant information was on display and updated on a regular basis.

Staff had requested more ‘wellbeing’ meetings to promote engagement with colleagues and the different teams within the service. The provider responded by planning and organising twice yearly social events and an award ceremony recognising staff with long service.

Staff told us they were valued by leaders. Feedback from staff was positive about the support they received from leaders and staff told us they were listened to and were supported when they required additional support. They told us they enjoyed the social events with colleagues.