Grey Gable 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, 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 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. The practice promoted a compassionate and supportive culture with an aim of providing good care to their patients. Staff had contributed to the development of the vision statement, which was kept under review.

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. Whilst the leadership team were mostly new, staff told us they were approachable, supportive and modelled the values of the practice.

The practice fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up, and their voice would be heard. Staff were aware of how to raise concerns and felt confident they would be listened to, and their concerns would be acted upon appropriately. The practice had established Freedom to Speak up arrangements both internally and externally.

The practice valued diversity in their workforce. They worked towards an inclusive and fair culture by improving equality and equity for people who work for them. Policies and procedures to promote diversity and equality were in place. Staff had completed equality and diversity training. Leaders made reasonable adjustments to support staff in their role.

The practice 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 share 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. The provider had 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.

The practice understood their duty to collaborate and work in partnership, so services work seamlessly for people. They shared information and learning with partners and collaborate for improvement. We saw examples of engagement with healthcare partners including regular visits to patients in a local care home. Members of the Patient Participation Group (PPG) worked with the practice to help raise money through their charitable trust. They used this money to help improve the practice. For example, they upgraded the children’s waiting area and bought a digital weighing chair which enabled patients who are unable to stand to be weighed.

The practice 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 that was discussed at clinical meetings. We saw many examples of improvement throughout the practice and future plans were discussed with leaders. For example, they were aiming to produce an internal newsletter for staff and an external monthly newsletter for patients.