National Unplanned Pregnancy Advisory Service Stoke

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 people using the service were always treated with respect, kindness and compassion. We checked that women and girls’’ privacy and dignity were respected and that person-centred care was central to the service with staff demonstrating cultural competence and involving women and girls in their plans tailored to their needs and preferences. People reported their overall experience as good.

At our last assessment, we rated this key question as good. At this assessment, the rating has remained as good. This meant that people felt supported, cared for and treated with dignity and respect.

We have not awarded this service a score for Caring.

Find out about when we will not publish a key question score and what we look at when we assess Caring.

We scored the service as 3. The evidence showed a good standard. 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.

Staff were caring and took time to interact with women and girls and girls and were compassionate and respectful. Staff understood and respected women and girls’ individual needs including their personal, cultural, social and religious needs. and showed understanding and a non-judgmental attitude when caring for them.

Staff throughout the women and girls’ journey within the clinic from the receptionist to clinicians were approachable and kind. Staff explained clearly and carefully the procedures and the options available to the women and girls.

Staff maintained the confidentiality of information about women and girls and girls. Staff followed policy to keep women and girls’ care and treatment confidential, confirmed their attendance with their first name. Consultations were held in private rooms and women and girls were assured of confidentiality of the service. The service had a chaperone policy with appropriately trained staff. There was information throughout the clinics telling women and girls they may request a chaperone if they wished.

Women and girls said staff treated them well and were kind and compassionate.

Patient survey information identified the percentage of people who were satisfied with staff was 97%.

Staff directed women and girls and girls to other services when appropriate and, if required, supported them to access those services.

We scored the service as 3. The evidence showed a good standard. 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.

The initial contact and following assessment appointment, the women and girls had with NUPAS identified women and girls who had additional needs to enable them to be supported appropriately. Staff understood and applied the policy on meeting the information and communication needs of women and girls with a disability or sensory loss. Staff were able to identify where they could seek assistance for women and girls with additional communication needs. The premises enabled wheelchair access throughout.

Staff made information leaflets available in languages spoken by women and girls. Staff were able to access interpreters or signers when needed and were able to use a translation service for women and girls for whom English was not their first language.

Staff ensured that women and girls could obtain information on treatments, local services, their rights, how to complain and so on. The information provided was in a form accessible to the patient group (for example, in easy read).

We scored the service as 3. The evidence showed a good standard. The service promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing.

Women and girls were able to make an informed choice about available termination of pregnancy methods. We saw staff explain all options clearly, including the legal requirements for surgical and medical procedures. Staff discussed other services available, for example, if a women and girls’ preferred surgery under a general anaesthetic.

Staff advised us if a woman was not sure about a termination of pregnancy, they provided information about other choices which may include delay in treatment or continuing with the pregnancy. Counselling services were available to discuss these options.

We scored the service as 3. The evidence showed a good standard. The service 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.

For early medical termination, staff gave clear instructions when supplying the medication for women and girls and girls to take at home. Clinical staff explained what the medication was, how and when to take it and what it was for. Women and girls were given a contact number in case they changed their mind, their circumstances changed or they experienced unexpected difficulties.

Staff ensured women and girls drank and ate before being discharged post-surgical termination. Women and girls were offered hot and cold beverages as well as biscuits. Staff did not discharge women and girls until they were fully recovered and had a blood pressure reading that was within normal range.

Women and girls attending the clinic(s) were given a termination booklet, this detailed; symptoms they may experience, emphasising those which would necessitate urgent review, what they should expect in terms of pain and bleeding, symptoms suggesting the need for additional medication and symptoms suggestive of continuing pregnancy.

We scored the service as 4. The evidence showed an outstanding standard of care.

There was embedded culture of kindness, inclusivity, and proactive leadership, staff said they felt valued, listened to, and supported, staff told us they had never experienced this in any other organisation they worked in.

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

People’s experience of the service was driven by a culture that promoted good wellbeing through inclusivity, active listening, and open conversations. This enabled staff to do their job well.

Staff felt respected, supported and valued. There was a culture of kindness and respect extended to colleagues who were treated kindly and with respect. Women and girls benefited from staff who had regular opportunities to provide feedback, raise concerns and suggest ways to improve the service. If necessary, leaders provided a timely and considered response. Managers ensured staff were listened to and staff were confident they would be listened to.

Staff told us the registered manager was “amazing”. We were told they remembered birthdays and other events and bought presents for them. We were told the registered manager was very attentive to their team and knew when they had problems and looked after them.

Workplace adjustments were available when required to support staff, for example, an audiology appointment had been arranged, and the service had purchased an alternative headphone, a chair with better lumbar support and a different mouse had also been provided. Flexible working which may include working from home was in place for staff with caring responsibilities.

Staff were rewarded for their contribution to care and treatment they provided which included a staff bonus every year. A member of the quality team had introduced a newsletter which shared positive feedback with staff.

Staff said following their three-monthly meetings they would all go out together which they felt was invaluable.

The Chief Executive Officer organised parties for all staff- which including parking, a meal and disco. One staff said they were lovely events and made them feel spoilt.

Staff told us they had excellent training opportunities and appraisals included conversations about career development and how it could be supported.

The last published staff survey (across all NUPAs services) was undertaken in 2024 and provided mixed feedback. Managers shared the action plan following the 2024 survey which identified actions such as focus groups to consider improvement in staff working additional hours and additional flexible working arrangement and increased used of “Perk box” to recognise staff and teams’ contribution. Staff surveys identified 71% of staff would recommend NUPAs as a place to work. Several staff we spoke said this was the best event service they had worked for.

The service’s staff sickness and absence were low and below the providers target of 3.5%.