BHF Highgate Surgery

On this page

• Overview
• Shared direction and culture
• Capable, compassionate and inclusive leaders
• Freedom to speak up
• Workforce equality, diversity and inclusion
• Governance, management and sustainability
• Partnerships and communities
• Learning, improvement and innovation

The service had a shared vision, strategy and positive culture. Leaders were knowledgeable and supportive, helping staff develop in their roles. Staff told us they felt very supported and understood their roles and responsibilities. Managers worked with the local community to deliver the best possible care and were receptive to new ideas. There was a culture of continuous improvement with staff given time and resources for training and development.

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 had a shared vision, strategy and culture. This was based on transparency, equity, equality and human rights, diversity and inclusion, engagement, and understanding challenges and the needs of people and their communities. The practice’s vision had been shared with staff. Leaders had a strategy for workforce planning which was regularly reviewed and monitored. There had been a number of changes in senior management in the previous 12 months with a new Chief Nurse and Human Resources (HR) managers recruited to posts. The organisation’s Chair and CEO had had oversight of management of the service with the assistance of the Practice Senior who worked at the practice and practice staff during these transitions. There were regular team meetings including clinical meetings. Staff feedback we received was unanimously positive about the culture of the practice. All staff we spoke to felt positive about working at the practice. They described good working relations and a service that was clear on its function to work in the interests of patients, providing the best patient experience possible.

The service had inclusive leaders who understood the context in which they delivered care, treatment and support and embodied the culture and values of their workforce and organisation. Leaders had the skills, knowledge, experience and credibility to lead effectively. Staff told us leaders in the practice were approachable and responded to any concerns raised. We saw the leadership team worked with other practices in the primary care network and were engaged in the development of primary care services within the local area.

The practice had a Whistleblowing Policy all staff could access which included Freedom to Speak up arrangements. Staff were aware of how to raise concerns.

The service valued diversity in their workforce. They worked towards an inclusive and fair culture by improving equality and equity for people who work for them. Policies and procedures to promote diversity and equality were in place and staff had received equality and diversity training.

The service had some good governance processes, clear responsibilities, roles and systems of accountability and they used these to manage and deliver good quality, sustainable care, treatment and support. They acted on the best information about performance and outcomes and shared this securely with others when appropriate.

Leaders and managers supported staff, and all staff we spoke with were clear on their individual roles and responsibilities. Managers met with staff regularly to complete appraisals and performance reviews. The provider had established governance processes that were appropriate for their service although some areas of governance required review, for example, not following their own safeguarding policy or recording monitoring of safety and medicines alerts. Staff could access all required policies and procedures. Managers held regular practice meetings with staff, during which they discussed clinical concerns and emerging risks. Managers clearly recorded any actions arising from these meetings and ensured they shared these with staff. Staff took patient confidentiality and information security seriously.

The service understood their duty to collaborate and work in partnership, so services worked seamlessly for people. They shared information and learning with partners and collaborated for improvement. For example, the provider held regular clinical meetings that staff from all its services attended to discuss clinical audits and share good practice.

The provider worked with other practices within their primary care network to offer services to patients, for example, extended access appointments and shared staff, this included, physiotherapists and mental health workers. The Lead GP carried out weekly visits at a local care home for patients who had dementia. The practice was supported by a Patient Participation Group (PPG). The PPG was made up of members from across all the provider’s practices with approximately 3 members who attended to represent this practice. They met quarterly and invited speakers from various organisations to participate, for example, a local organisation who support young people with mental health had attended the latest meeting.

The service focused on continuous learning and improvement across the organisation and local system. They encouraged creative ways of delivering equality of experience, outcome and quality of life for people. Staff attended regular meetings, governance and clinical meetings and they used learning from complaints and serious incidents to make changes and drive improvement. They encouraged staff training, for example, the practice nurse and nursing associates were being supported with their long-term condition training courses.