The Willow Tree 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

This means we looked for evidence the practice involved people in their care and treatment, and treated them with compassion, kindness, dignity, and respect.

At our last inspection with the previous provider, we rated this key question good. At this inspection, the rating has remained good.

People were treated with kindness and compassion. Staff protected their privacy and dignity. They treated them as individuals and supported their preferences. People had choice in their care and treatment. Practice leaders also supported staff wellbeing.

This service scored 80 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

Practice staff were exceptional at treating people with kindness, empathy, and compassion. They always respected people’s privacy and dignity, including at times where patients came to practice staff extremely distressed and in need of support. For example, all staff we spoke with demonstrated that patient care was person-centred. We saw that each patient was treated as an individual, whatever their previous experiences or background, which ensured their care, support, and treatment met their needs and preferences.

Staff we spoke with told us they felt empowered to deliver high-quality, considerate, and empathetic care.

During the site visit we observed staff to be friendly and helpful with people at the reception desk and when supporting people by phone. Every interaction we saw was tailored to meet the needs of each person. People who provided feedback on the day said they were treated with respect. We also saw that staff treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect.

All staff were aware of the importance of people’s confidentiality and gave examples of how this was maintained. There were arrangements in place to promote patients’ privacy such as a wellbeing room, to allow people a quiet place for support. Staff we spoke with understood Gillick competency, and there was a process to ensure young adults had control over their own privacy and the level of parental involvement in managing their care and support.

We found that the culture of the team was patient centred.

The practice treated people as individuals and made sure their care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences. It was clear that staff took account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics.

Staff undertook training to improve their knowledge and understanding of how to support people. For example, staff completed training on how to support people with a learning disability and/or autistic people. Support was also available for people with caring responsibilities.

Staff displayed an understanding and non-judgmental attitude to all patients. Patient communication needs were met to enable them to be fully involved in their care. Reasonable adjustments were in place to support people, for example longer appointments, written appointment information, and access to translation services. The practice offered a quiet place for people to sit whilst waiting for their appointments if they felt anxious waiting in a busy and noisy room.

Practice staff promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment, and wellbeing. Staff went to great lengths to make sure that people’s needs, views, and wishes were considered a priority during care and treatment decisions.

Staff supported people to make informed decisions about their care and treatment and worked with their carers when appropriate. Staff helped people and their carers to access advocacy and community-based services when needed.

There was a process to ensure young adults had control over their own privacy and the amount of parental involvement in managing their care and treatment.

Information was available in the practice and on the practice website which advised people on how to access a range of support groups and organisations, which included wellbeing and mental health support.

Practice staff 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. The people we spoke to said that clinical and non-clinical staff were responsive to their questions and requests.

Staff knew how to respond and recognise when urgent help or support was required. They provided examples of when they had been exceptional at de-escalating challenging situations. Staff told us about systems and training in place to support this. Staff we spoke with had a clear understanding of referral pathways to emergency support, including mental health crisis teams.

Staff were often familiar with homeless patients, many of whom had been registered with the practice for an extended period. To promote continuity of care and enhance engagement, efforts were made to ensure these patients were seen by regular clinicians whenever possible.

Although there was a system for appointment triage, people could not always access the care, support, and treatment they needed from the practice and were signposted to other services for care and treatment. The practice had a duty GP available every day to review urgent requests.

Practice leaders cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported them to deliver person-centred care. Leaders actively provided physical support to non-clinical staff during busy periods by helping answer phone calls and answer any patient queries. Staff told us they felt valued by leaders. Leaders actively encouraged feedback, ideas and suggestions from staff.

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. There were also wellbeing incentives that staff could access, such as mental health support and a staff wellbeing fund.

Learning and development opportunities were available for clinical staff. Leaders told us that each clinician had been allocated a study budget and given protected time for learning and development to support staff with career progression.