Prestbury Medical Practice

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

We looked for evidence that service leadership, management and governance assured high-quality, person-centred care; supported learning and innovation; and promoted an open, fair culture.

At our last assessment, we rated this key question as Good. At this assessment, the rating remains the same.

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 quality, access and responsive care. The leaders and staff had a good understanding of the challenges for the service and the needs of people and their communities.

Staff demonstrated confidence in carrying out their roles, supported by clear processes, guidance, and documentation. Leaders showed an understanding of how each role contributed to service delivery. There was a positive culture of support and openness, with recognition of the factors that could impact service delivery.

The service had an open culture around patient feedback. There was an active and well attended Patient Participation Group (PPG). The feedback from PPG members was that the service were open, honest and valued peoples opinions.

The service had inclusive leaders at all levels 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. They did so with integrity, openness and honesty.

Staff told us service leaders were approachable and responded to any concerns raised in a caring and fair way.

The leaders demonstrated an understanding of each other’s skills and knowledge as well as those of their staff. They were able to demonstrate how staff were given opportunities to develop, encouraged to share experiences and treated equally.

We saw the service worked well with other practices in the Primary Care Network (PCN) and were engaged in the development of primary care services within the local area to meet the needs of the community.

The service fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard.

The service had established freedom to speak up arrangements within the PCN. Staff were aware of how to raise concerns and were confident in the process and felt safe to speak up if they needed to.

Leaders were aware of the importance of being open to feedback and encouraging a safe space where staff felt able to be honest and open when they had a concern.

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. Adjustments had been made to ensure all staff were valued, for example we saw adjustments to work equipment to meet physical needs.

Staff feedback showed they felt able to speak openly with leaders. Staff told us they could raise concerns and share feedback. They said leaders were supportive of development, and staff felt part of a team.

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

The service was responsive to changes in legislation, guidance and requirements. Changes to processes were discussed, shared and monitored with the team. Leaders were able to demonstrate how the service maintained governance and quality assurance, and how measures were in place to reduce disruption during unexpected events.

Staff had a clear understanding of their own roles and the responsibilities of others. They were able to explain who was responsible for key areas of the service, such as safeguarding, fire safety and infection prevention and control. Staff also knew who deputised for lead roles and who to speak to if a lead was not available.

Staff had access to policies and processes, and the induction pack provided clear, role-specific guidance and expectations where needed. Policies were reviewed regularly, and we saw evidence that changes to processes were put into practice when required.

Leaders held regular practice meetings where clinical concerns and emerging risks were discussed. Actions from these meetings were recorded, shared with relevant staff and used to support learning.

Personal information was stored securely, and staff understood the importance of confidentiality and data protection.

Leaders showed a good understanding of the workforce and were able to demonstrate how effective workforce planning helped maintain continuity of care.

The service understood their duty to collaborate and work in partnership, so services work seamlessly for people. They share information and learning with partners and collaborate for improvement.

Patients were signposted to other health services, where appropriate, such as district nurses and the PCN health and well-being team. Feedback from other organisations who worked alongside the service was that there was a respectful, supportive, and caring relationship.

The service had a well-established PPG with regular meetings, patient information events and medical condition workshops supported by the practice. The PPG also actively raised funds for equipment that would benefit patients and the local community, such as recent fundraising for a community defibrillator.

The service engaged well within the PCN attending meetings and actively developing roles within the PCN. There was a strong relationship with the Pharmacist team and the health and well-being coaches.

The service focused on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation and local system. They encouraged creative ways of delivering equality of experience, outcome and quality of life for people. They actively contribute to safe, effective practice and research.

The service was an accredited training practice. There was support, supervision and guidance for trainee GPs.

Staff had support and learning opportunities through training sessions, role specific information packs and competency sign off.

The service was routinely involved in projects and audits aimed to improve patient care such as an early prostate cancer detection project aimed to promote uptake of blood tests to detect early signs of prostate cancer and increase awareness of the risk factors.

We saw evidence of repeat audits to assess the impact of the initial findings and actions to monitor and ensure peoples care and treatment had been positively changed by the outcomes. The clinical team were encouraged to consider and develop audits for improved care.

A recycling programme was established to reduce environmental impact and support sustainability within the community.