The Whiteley Clinic London

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

The service worked with patients to understand and manage risks. Care met patients' needs in a way which was safe and supportive and enabled them to do the things that mattered to them.

When people communicated their needs, emotions or distress, staff could manage this in a positive way which protected their rights and dignity and maximised learning for the future about the causes of their distress.

We looked for evidence that patients were treated with kindness, empathy and compassion. We assessed the levels of patients’ privacy and dignity afforded to patients. We asked patients to tell us about their experiences, if they were respected, if they understood that they and their experience of how they were treated and supported mattered. We also looked for evidence that every effort was made to take patients’ wishes into account and respect their choices, to achieve the best possible outcomes for them.

At our last assessment we rated this key question good. At this assessment the rating has remained good. This meant people were supported and treated with dignity and respect; and involved as partners in their care.

We have not awarded this service a score for Caring.

Find out about when we will not publish a key question score and what we look at when we assess Caring.

The service always treated patients with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. Staff treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect.

Staff treated patients with compassion and kindness, respected their privacy and dignity, and took account of their individual needs. Staff introduced themselves to patients and said what their role was. Staff were discreet and responsive when caring for patients. They took their time to interact with patients and those close to them in a respectful and considerate way.

Staff responded to patients’ anxieties about their operation and took steps to reduce the stress within the environment. Patients undergoing elective operations had access to information about their condition, their treatment and how best to prepare for surgery to reduce pain and anxiety in patients. This included a recommendation that the patient had a ‘stress ball’ they could squeeze when needed. Staff supported patients with high anxiety or needle phobia, including offering a pre-procedure visit for patients to meet the team and familiarise themselves with the environment, as well as providing relaxing music during procedures.

In theatres patients were kept covered as far as possible and not left exposed. Staff were respectful when caring for the anaesthetised patients. When moving around the clinic, patients were encouraged and supported to be dressed or always covered.

Patients said staff treated them well and with kindness. We observed good interactions between staff and patients. Staff provided snacks and refreshments to patients. All patients were allowed to eat and drink as most of the procedures were performed under local anaesthetic.

Staff followed policy to keep patient care and treatment confidential.

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

Staff understood and respected the personal, cultural, social, and religious needs of patients and how they may relate to care needs. For example, the service provided one of the clinical rooms for people to pray, ensuring that people’s religious needs were met. The service had also successfully treated people with disabilities for venous conditions. For example, a patient who was registered blind was treated at the service. Staff helped the patient mobilise, helped them consent to treatment via reading the forms aloud and carried out risk assessments based on individual needs and protected characteristics.

Feedback was gathered through patient surveys and concerns were responded to. We reviewed 4 care plans and saw these were tailored to individual needs and circumstances.

The service promoted patients’ independence, so patients knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing.

We saw patients were encouraged to be as independent as soon as they were able following surgery. This included becoming mobile and able to move around the dedicated recovery areas in the clinic, toilets and bathroom.

The staff listened to and understood patients’ needs, views and wishes. Staff responded to patients’ needs in the moment and acted to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress.

Staff observed patients and intervened where they saw people were uncomfortable, uncovered or distressed. People appeared well cared for, clean and with the items they needed such as glasses or walking aids close by. Staff encouraged people, where able, to eat and drink sufficiently to maintain health.

There were emergency call bells in recovery and theatre to ensure staff could call for additional help and expert help could be summoned quickly. Consultants, nurses and HCAs were available if a patient was in distress.

People who used mobility aids such as walking frames or crutches had them close by and were assisted to use them until they regained their usual level of mobility.

Staff gave patients and those close to them help, emotional support and advice when they needed it. They were empathetic and considerate of the stress of a theatre environment. They reassured patients that their quality of life in the future will be better following their treatment than if they did not have any treatment.

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

Staff had access to resource and facilities for safe working. This included being able to take adequate rest breaks and use designated rest areas.

Staff were able to provide feedback, raise concerns and suggest ways to improve the service or staff experiences and could expect a response. Staff had opportunities to contribute their views via staff surveys. Staff felt listened to, supported and valued by their leaders and their colleagues.

Staff had access to personalised support which recognised the diversity of a workforce with proactive and reactive measures. For example, staff gave us an example of a colleague who was given time to pray in a dedicated space, ensuring that any patients who were under their care were not scheduled to be seen during the prayer times. Staff enabled the staff member to work flexibly and address their religious needs, whilst enabling them to safely deliver person-centred care. The provider and local leaders therefore ensured that staff with protected characteristics felt included and respected within the service.