Aelfgar 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

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. The service supported staff wellbeing.

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

The practice with consent from patients ensured registered patients who identify themselves as carers were coded onto their electronic systems. Rugeley Great Haywood Primary Care Network (PCN) had identified that there was no formalised local support group for adult carers. As a result, the social prescriber was setting up a Community Carers Group to be held monthly starting on 5th June 2025. This was set to include professional guest speakers.

Arrangements were in place to promote patients’ privacy. National GP Patient Survey data reflected people felt listened to and were treated with kindness. Staff we spoke with understood Gillick competency and 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 support.

The practice 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.

The practice promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing. National GP PatientSurvey data found that 97% of respondents felt the healthcare professional they saw had all the information they needed about them during their last general practice appointment and 92% were involved as much as they wanted to be in decisions about their care and treatment during their last general practice appointment.

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

The practice 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 receptionists who were in receipt of care navigation training with the support of the duty GP who triaged patients made sure patients with urgent needs were prioritised. There was a system for appointment triage which was via the practice duty doctor that ensured people with immediate needs had access to services. The practice maintained an emergency call handling procedure and awareness of when to advise patients on when to contact an emergency ambulance service. Patients were encouraged to see the same clinician about their medical conditions, where possible. The clinical team where possible maintained continuity of care to identify changes in patients’ needs, such as any general deterioration.

Staff told us palliative care patients had access to a direct telephone line to the practice in order that requests could be actioned promptly to support them and their families, such as anticipatory medicines and cancer care support.

Staff we spoke with knew the process for referral to emergency support, including mental health crisis teams.

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

The practice requested staff to complete an annual wellbeing survey and acted on any areas identified for improvement. For example, during Christmas 2023 they asked all staff to partake in an individual mental wellbeing activity of their choice, once chosen, the practice paid for this activity. Staff and their families were invited to a Christmas and summer party to ensure peoples wellbeing. The practice recruited additional staff to ensure workloads were manageable and this was regularly discussed at meetings and reviewed. The practice had been involved with the recruitment of additional salaried GPs and additional roles (ARRs) staff such as pharmacists. They had additional reception hours and individual staff described the approval of their flexible working requests.

Staff told us the practice leadership valued them as people and their work. 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 team building days were established within the practice.