Canberra Old Oak 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

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 in November 2022, 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 transparency, equity, equality and human rights, diversity and inclusion, engagement, and understanding challenges and the needs of people and their communities.

All staff had contributed to the development of the practice vision and strategy, which was kept under review. The practice was aware of the projected increase in the local population and was working with partner agencies to address future challenges.

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 leaders were approachable and responded to any concerns raised. The service was operated by a provider that also ran other general practices in London and more widely. The central teams provided development, support and advice for the local service managers.

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 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 with other practices in the provider group. Staff were aware of how to raise concerns, and told us they were confident in raising issues through the service managers.

The service valued diversity in their workforce. They worked towards an inclusive and fair working culture.

Policies and procedures to promote diversity and equality were in place. The managers understood their responsibility to make adjustments to enable staff to participate fully and were able to provide examples. The service employed a diverse staff team including people who spoke a range of languages spoken in the local community.

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 acted on the best information about risk, 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. There were established governance processes that were appropriate for their service. 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.

The service worked with other practices within their primary care network to offer extended access, and flu and covid vaccination programmes. Staff had made adjustments to coordinate their service with community healthcare services, including regular meetings centred on the care of those at higher risk of hospital admission.

The service was developing links with the local football club, which had a strong community presence, to engage with people about their health and promote relevant services and resources.

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 contributed to safe, effective practice and research.

The service had a quality improvement plan in place to help drive improvement. We saw evidence that the service actively identified issues and put in place actions to address these, for example in relation to a backlog of correspondence. The service had replaced the frontend App that people used to access the service, following critical feedback from people, and was monitoring the impact. Staff were encouraged to put forward and test out new ways of working.