Spire Harrogate Clinic

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

People told us they were treated with kindness, empathy and compassion, we observed staff and saw they were treating patients with respect. We observed staff ensuring that people’s privacy and dignity was protected. The environment supported privacy and dignity. We sought feedback from patients that they were treated with kindness 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.

The evidence showed an exceptional standard. The service was exceptional at treating people with kindness, empathy and compassion and in how they respected people’s privacy and dignity. Staff always treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect. 

Staff treated patients with compassion and kindness, respected their privacy and dignity, and took account of their individual needs. 

We observed that patients, and their families, were treated with respect and seen promptly in the waiting area. There were good interactions between staff and patients in all areas and friendly conversations between staff and patients or families while they were waiting for their appointments. Patients reported to the main reception area and were directed to the reception desk inside the waiting area. Consultants and GPs greeted patients and escorted them into consulting rooms. We observed them walking over to the patient to walk with them to the consultation room and offered support if they needed it.  

Patients we spoke with were positive about the care and treatment received in the department from all staff including clinical and administrative staff. We spoke with some patients who travelled from afar to use the clinic and patients who had returned multiple times, sometimes out of their way, due to their positive experience.  

The service treated patients with kindness and respect, staff introduced themselves and patients told us how kind staff were. The clinic rooms allowed for privacy and were clearly marked that they were engaged so there was no interruption during consultations. All patients were offered chaperones and there were notices in place that outlined the chaperone service. If a patient preferred someone close to them, this was welcomed.  

Patients told us staff were caring and professional and this was reflected in patient survey results. 

Staff told us how the clinic worked as a team, they were happy to work across the clinic and they enjoyed working there as it felt like a family. 

The evidence showed an exceptional standard. The service treated people as individuals and was exceptional in how they made sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences. The service took account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics. 

The service treated people as individuals, staff told us how they assessed patients’ needs and were able to make adjustments for people with complex needs. 

There were posters in waiting areas that signposted help available if information was required in large text, sign language, easy read text or braille. Staff had access to communication aids, translation services and hearing loops were available. 

We observed positive interactions between staff and patients. Staff spoke with people in a way they could understand and had a good understanding of their individual needs and preferences. 

All eligible staff had completed equality, diversity and human rights training. Staff also completed dementia awareness and autism awareness training as part of their mandatory training. 

The service engaged with the public, patients and partner agencies.They had been discussing regular groups and had planned to set up a patient experience group, to get patient feedback face to face and to discuss with them how they would like the service to run or improvements they would like to see.  

The clinic’s Friends and Family Test used 4 overarching key patient needs and below those were specific statements that related to the key questions. We were shown one example of an issue found within this feedback, which was regarding the information regarding charges was unclear. The service took action to resolve this and designed outpatient charges cards which were printed and placed in clinics. 

There were 117 compliments for outpatients which included, ‘Outstanding care from everyone today from the minute I walked through the door. Professional attitude shown by everyone which was balanced with kindness and understanding. A big thank you to everyone today for making my experience as a patient the best that it could be.’ And ‘Really nice environment, very friendly staff, it was enjoyable start to finish, I would not hesitate to come back. Thank you.’ 

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. 

Patients were provided with information on what to expect before their appointment and how to prepare for their treatment. We saw medical and nursing staff discussing patient’s treatment options with them. 

Patients were encouraged to book follow up appointments as soon as they had finished their current one, which enabled choice and they were assured that they could call to rearrange at any time if they needed to.  

Consultants could arrange virtual appointments where it was difficult for a patient to attend in person and it was appropriate to do so.  

Patients were also encouraged to state their preferences at each stage of their journey.  

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. 

The service listened to people’s needs; patients we spoke to told us they were happy with the service. They said there was good communication regarding their appointments and staff were friendly and approachable.

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

The service cared about the wellbeing of staff; staff had access to a wellbeing platform. There were wellbeing initiatives for staff scheduled very regularly and the management team ensured that these were accessible to all staff.  

We heard that on days when there was not a lot of activity, the whole clinic would get outdoors and do team building or fun exercises which boosted morale. One example of this was a video we saw of the teams having a ‘sports day’ outside on the lawn, where everyone really contributed and had fun.  

There was a wealth of wellbeing initiatives and flexible working patterns to suit all staff and meet individual needs. Staff said they could access almost any kind of support they required, whether that was in their work or personal life. Staff at the clinic had non corporate wellbeing services, including Wellbeing Corner, Helping Hands and discounted local gym membership. They also had a ‘Wellbeing Centre’ area on the intranet which held a vast amount of information.  

Their Employee Assist programme (EAP) gave colleagues access to confidential, impartial advice and support 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Whether it was practical advice, or counselling support. This support was provided through counselling services and information services.  

Staff shared their interests with the clinic as we saw in the staff hub. We saw many different activities and groups that were arranged by staff in their own time to spend time together outside of work. There was a book club for example where staff recommended books for one another and books were brought in to share. Staff also had use of Whatsapp groups and nurse forums.  

Outpatient staff told us they were encouraged to attend training and share their ideas to improve the service. There was access to apprenticeships and staff had moved from clinical roles to administration roles and vice versa.  

Staff told us that it was a great place to work, and there were opportunities for further study for things they took a specific interest in, which made them feel supported by the leadership team and their immediate line managers.