Lytham Road 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.

This is the first inspection for this service since its registration with CQC. This key question has been rated 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 service always treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. Staff treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect.

Arrangements were in place to promote patients’ privacy. National GP Patient Survey data reflected people felt listened to and were treated with kindness. Results from the survey were similar to, or better than, national and local results.

83% of respondents stated the healthcare professional they saw or spoke to was good at treating them with care and concern during their last general practice appointment, compared to 86% nationally and locally.

The service treated people as individuals and made sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences. They took account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics.

Patients’ personal, cultural, social, religious and equality characteristics needs were understood and met. Patient communication needs were met to enable them to be fully involved in their care.

Results from the National GP Patient Survey indicated that 93.5% of patients stated that during their last appointment they were involved as much as they wanted to be in decisions about their care and treatment. 88% of patients stated the healthcare professional they saw or spoke to was good at listening to them during their last general practice appointment, compared to 87% nationally and 88% locally. 79% of patients felt the healthcare professional they saw or spoke to was good at considering their mental wellbeing during their last general practice appointment, compared with 75% nationally and 74% locally.

The service usually promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing. However, there were issues with the way do not attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation (DNACPR) processes were carried out as above.

Staff helped patients and their carers to access advocacy and community-based services.

The result of the National GP Patient Survey showed that 94% of respondents felt that during their last appointment they were involved as much as they wanted to be in decisions about their care and treatment, compared with 91% nationally and 92% locally.

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.

Members of the team had been provided with training in basic life support and the signs and symptoms of sepsis. Staff had a comprehensive directory of services that had been compiled which enabled them to direct patients to the best services to meet their needs. They also had access to useful information around medical conditions and ailments which enabled them to refer patients to appropriate clinicians, to Accident and Emergency, or to a pharmacy. GPs made decisions about which patients should be seen urgently. There were effective systems in place for appointment triage that ensured people with immediate needs had access to services. Staff we spoke with knew the process for referral to emergency support, including mental health crisis teams. The service was effective at focusing resources to meet the immediate needs and demand of patients. They arranged their appointments and balance of clinicians to ensure GP appointments were readily available. We saw that on the day appointments were embargoed to ensure they remained available for those who needed them.

The results of the GP National Patient Survey showed above average levels of patient satisfaction with patients having their immediate needs met. Results indicated that 90% of patients felt that they knew what the next step would be after contacting the practice, compared to 83% nationally and locally.

The service cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported staff to deliver person-centred care.

Staff told us they were valued by leaders. 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. Staff reported being supported if they were struggling at work. We saw that team-building activities were established within the practice. The practice described initiatives to promote positive working environments and teamwork within the practice, to increase wellbeing and to promote better recruitment and retention. They held events and wellbeing sessions such as days out, lunches out, massages, an ice cream van, outdoor space, walks and meetings. A staff survey showed an improvement in wellbeing scores following such initiatives. Staff were able to contribute their ideas and wishes, which fed into the practice strategy, many of these ideas were successfully implemented.