DeMontfort 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

We looked for evidence that the service involved people and treated them with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.

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

This service scored 65 (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 always treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. Staff treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect.

Arrangements were in place to promote patients’ privacy. The results from the National GP Patient Survey data showed a decline in people feeling listened to and were treated with kindness. Staff we spoke with understood Gillick competencies 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 service 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 service promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing.

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

The service did not always listen to and understand people’s needs, views and wishes. Staff did not always respond to people’s needs in the moment or act to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress.

On the day of inspection, patients we spoke with expressed difficulties around obtaining appointments and complaints not being raised. We witnessed distressed people within the practice and due to a lack of staffing, the patients were not dealt with immediately. During our inspection, we were told these patients had been supported by the senior leadership team who were on site to support the inspection.
The provider had developed a triage resource for administration staff to signpost patients to alternative services however they were unaware that staff within the practice did not have access to this. This was rectified following the inspection. Reception staff told us that when the available appointments had been taken each day, patients were told to contact 111.
 

The service did not always care about and promote the wellbeing of their staff. They did not always support or enable staff to deliver person-centred care.

Staff feedback regarding support regarding leadership was mixed, with many staff saying they were not aware of who the Willows Health Ltd leaders were. There was positive feedback from staff regarding site managers, however concerns that were raised to management were not always dealt with in a timely manner.

Staff shortages had impacted on staff wellbeing and some staff did not feel their feedback was listened to. The provider produced a report on staff feedback from across the Willows Health Ltd locations and actions that had been implemented, but it was not clear if any evidence included related to De Montfort Surgery staff.