Grey Gable Surgery

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• 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 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 practice 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. For example, the practice had a sign up in reception informing patients that if they prefer a quieter, more confidential space to discuss their concerns then there is a room available. The National GP Patient Survey data found 92% of respondents said the healthcare professional they saw or spoke to was good at treating them with care and concern during their last general practice appointment, which was higher than local and national averages.

The practice 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. Patient communication needs were met, enabling patients to be involved in their care. The practice noted patients’ preferences and needs in their patient record. For example, if they required longer appointments or had a preferred GP they would like to see.

The practice 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. National GP Patient Survey data found 94% of respondents said they were involved as much as they wanted to be in decisions about their care and treatment during their last general practice appointment, which was higher than local and national averages.

The practice 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. There was a system for appointment triage that ensured people with immediate needs had access to services. Receptionists used a triage template that helped them to identify patients who required emergency support. Staff we spoke with knew this process including how to escalate urgent concerns to a duty doctor.

The practice cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care. Staff told us they felt supported and valued by their leaders and colleagues. Leaders had taken steps to recognise and meet the wellbeing needs of staff, which included the necessary resources and facilities for safe working, such as a break area. There was a wellbeing board in the staff room, and it contained information on local wellness walks that staff could do on their lunch break. There was a staff comments box in the staff room which was regularly checked. This allowed staff to provide anonymous feedback, raise concerns and suggest ways to improve the practice or patient or staff experiences. Leaders supported staff if they were struggling at work and we saw an example of how following an incident, staff were encouraged to seek support if needed.