Cossington Park Surgery

On this page

• Overview
• Shared direction and culture
• Capable, compassionate and inclusive leaders
• Freedom to speak up
• Workforce equality, diversity and inclusion
• Governance, management and sustainability
• Partnerships and communities
• Learning, improvement and innovation

We looked for evidence that service leadership, management and governance assured high-quality, person-centred care; supported learning and innovation; and promoted an open, fair culture. At our previous comprehensive assessment, we rated this key question as Requires Improvement. At this assessment, we rated this key question as Good.

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 practice had a clear vision to promote good outcomes for patients.

Staff told us by working collaboratively and continually developing their skills, they aimed to deliver care that is high quality for patients.

All the staff members we spoke with were positive about the culture of the practice. Staff told us it was a friendly environment to work in, the culture was open, transparent, blame free and non-discriminatory and they enjoyed working there.

Leaders had the skills, knowledge, experience and credibility to lead effectively.

Leaders actively engaged with patients, staff, and partner organisations to gather feedback and they took meaningful action in response. They demonstrated during the assessment how they made changes for the better wherever they could

We saw the leadership team worked with other practices in the primary care network and were engaged in the development of primary care services within the local area.

Staff feedback we received indicated staff would benefit from more frequent visits to the practice from the senior management team.

The practice strived to ensure staff could speak up and their voice would be heard. There were systems and policies in place to support staff to whistle blow or to speak with a ‘Freedom to Speak Up Guardian’ if they needed to. The practice had appointed representatives from the local medical committee who are external to the practice to the role of the Freedom to Speak Up Guardian.

The practice valued diversity in their workforce. They had an inclusive and fair culture which had improved equality and equity for people who work for them. Policies and procedures to promote diversity and equality were in place. Staff had received training in equality, diversity and inclusion and were aware of supporting people with protected characteristics such as age, gender, religion and disability. There was a zero tolerance to bullying and harassment and leaders were committed to providing an inclusive and supportive working environment.

Staff we spoke with reported high levels of job satisfaction. They told us they felt valued and were encouraged to be involved in contributing to the running of the practice.

The practice had clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability and good governance. They used these to manage and deliver good quality, sustainable care, treatment and support. They acted on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, and shared this securely with others when appropriate.

Leaders and managers supported staff, and all staff we spoke with were clear on their individual roles and responsibilities.

The practice had established governance processes and staff could access all required policies and procedures. Managers held regular meetings with staff, during which they discussed clinical concerns and emerging risks. Managers clearly recorded any actions arising from these meetings and ensured they shared these with staff. Staff took patient confidentiality and information security seriously.

The practice understood their duty to collaborate and work in partnership, so services worked seamlessly for patients. They shared information and learning with partners and collaborated for improvement. The practice worked with other practices within their primary care network (PCN) and attended meetings where practices shared best practice and quality improvement.

Leaders told us that they were a high referring practice to the Pharmacy First scheme in Leicestershire. Pharmacy First is a consultation service which enables patients to be referred into community pharmacy for a minor illness oran urgent repeat medicine supply. The service helps to free up GP appointments for patients who need them most and includes the supply of appropriate medicines for 7 common conditions including earache, sore throat, and urinary tract infections, aiming to address health issues before they get worse.

The practice collected patient feedback via the NHS “Friends and Family Test” and reported on these outcomes. On an annual basis, the practice reviewed the National GP Patient Survey results and identified areas for improvement. We saw evidence of an action plan which had been produced by leaders in response to the National GP Patient Survey.

To increase patient feedback, leaders were in the process of training a member of staff to be the practice ‘Feedback Champion.’ Leaders explained as part of this role, the Champion would work on sending out weekly text messages to with links to the NHS Friends and Family Test to patients attending various clinics; to make telephone calls to patients; and ensure the NHS Friends and Family Test link is added to all AccuRX interactions.

In addition, the practice were actively exploring ways to recruit patients to re-establish the patient participation group (PPG) to also collate patient feedback and identify improvements for the practice.

The practice had a strong focus on continuous learning, innovation and improvement. Leaders told us they were actively investing in the training and career development needed to upskill and retain staff, ultimately strengthening the clinical capacity and resilience of the practice.

Staff participated in quality improvement work and were encouraged to contribute with ideas to continually improve the service they provided. For example, reception staff told us they had recently participated in a ‘brainstorming’ meeting to explore different ways to improve the service with the new NHS GP contract.

Leaders told us the practice was committed to investing in the ongoing development of the clinical team. For example, the practice had supported six pharmacists in achieving their Independent Prescribing (IP) qualifications. Staff explained this investment in training had strengthened the range of services they could offer patients, allowing pharmacist prescribers to take on a greater role in medicines management, long-term condition reviews, and same-day access, helping to ease pressure on GP appointments while maintaining high standards of safe, patient centred care.

Leaders provided multiple examples of supporting staff with their career progression including supporting a staff member to train as a Healthcare Assistant, who was then supported to upskill further as a Nursing Associate, and is currently enrolled on a Practice Nurse programme. The practice had also supported two Registered Nurses to complete Practice Nurse training; one of which is currently training to become an Advanced Nurse Practitioner.

Leaders informed us in 2019, the practice joined the NHS England International GP (IGP) scheme and took on two candidates who trained under supervision at the practice for three years. One of those candidates remains employed at the practice as a salaried GP.