Adelaide Surgery

On this page

• Overview
• Assessing needs
• Delivering evidence-based care and treatment
• How staff, teams and services work together
• Supporting people to live healthier lives
• Monitoring and improving outcomes
• Consent to care and treatment

We looked for evidence that staff involved people in decisions about their care and treatment and provided them advice and support. Staff regularly reviewed people’s care and worked with other services to achieve this.

At the previous assessment, this key question was rated Requires Improvement. Since then, the service has actively encouraged and promoted uptake of cancer screening programmes and strengthened its relationships with partner services to improve patient care and outcomes. The practice also undertook clinical searches, which demonstrated that the majority of patients were being appropriately monitored for their long-term conditions. The small number of patients identified as requiring review were recalled promptly and received the necessary checks in a timely manner. As a result of these improvements, the rating for this key question has increased to 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 made sure people’s care and treatment was effective by assessing and reviewing their health, care, wellbeing and communication needs with them.

People felt involved in any assessment of their needs and felt confident that staff understood their individual and cultural needs. Reception staff were aware of the needs of the local community. Reception staff used digital flags within the care records system to highlight any specific individual needs, such as the requirement for longer appointments or for a translator to be present. Staff checked people’s health, care, and wellbeing needs during health reviews.

Clinical searches demonstrated that a sample of patients with conditions including asthma and hypothyroidism had received appropriate monitoring in line with clinical requirements.

The service planned and delivered people’s care and treatment with them, including what was important and mattered to them. They did this in line with legislation and current evidence-based good practice and standards.

Systems were in place to ensure staff were up to date with evidence-based guidance and legislation. Clinical records we saw demonstrated care was provided in line with current guidance.

A practice nurse at the service held monthly group sessions for patients who had recently been diagnosed with diabetes. The purpose of these meetings was to provide information and support, help patients understand their diagnosis, and educate them on the dietary and lifestyle changes required to manage their condition. We were informed that the group size was limited to a maximum of 8 patients to ensure the sessions remained small, personal, and conducive to discussion.

The service worked well across teams and services to support people. They made sure people only needed to tell their story once by sharing their assessment of needs when people moved between different services.

Staff had access to the information they needed to appropriately assess, plan, and deliver people’s care, treatment, and support. The practice worked with other services to ensure continuity of care, including where clinical tasks were delegated to other services.

We saw evidence that regular meetings were held across the service, including clinical, nursing, non-clinical, and safeguarding meetings. These meetings enabled effective communication across the multidisciplinary team and provided opportunities for all staff members to contribute their views, share information, and discuss service developments and patient care.

To ensure staff were able to work together effectively, the practice adopted an open-door policy to encourage staff to speak up so that any queries were resolved to reflect a positive working environment.

The service supported people to manage their health and wellbeing to maximise their independence, choice and control. The service supported people to live healthier lives and where possible, reduce their future needs for care and support.

Staff focussed on identifying risks to patients’ health, including those in the last 12 months of their lives, patients at risk of developing a long-term condition and those with caring responsibilities. Staff supported national priorities and initiatives to improve population health, including stopping smoking and tackling obesity.

Health promotion material was available in the practice and further information could be found on the practice website that supported national priorities and initiatives to improve population health.

The service routinely monitored people’s care and treatment to continuously improve it. They ensured that outcomes were positive and consistent, and that they met both clinical expectations and the expectations of people themselves.

The majority of immunisation targets were achieved and remained above the national target. The practice had established a strong relationship with the local nursery and worked closely alongside staff to encourage parents to take up immunisations for their children, while also educating them on the importance of vaccinations in protecting health and preventing disease.

The most recently published data as of the 30 June 2024 shows the practice was performing below the national cervical screening uptake target of 80%, achieving 54% uptake among patients aged 25 to 49 years and 59% among those aged 50 to 64 years.

To address the barriers to screening attendance and improve engagement, the practice implemented a range of targeted interventions. These included social media awareness campaigns, direct patient contact, and collaboration with local health initiatives. Among these initiatives was a mobile cervical screening unit, known as the "smear bus", which travelled throughout the local area to provide easier and more convenient access to screening services. These approaches aimed to increase awareness, reduce barriers to access, and encourage greater participation in the national cervical screening programme.

The practice provided unverified data demonstrating that the innovations implemented had a positive impact on the uptake of cancer screening and immunisations, with measurable improvements reflected in the data.

The service had established systems to monitor non‑attendance for both immunisation and screening appointments.

The service told people about their rights around consent and respected these when delivering person-centred care and treatment.

Staff understood and applied legislation relating to consent. Capacity and consent were clearly recorded. Do not attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation (DNACPR) decisions were appropriate and were made in line with relevant legislation.