Killamarsh Medical Practice

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 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 70 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

Feedback from people did not always show that the service treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion. Data from the national GP Patient Survey showed that 73% of respondents stated that during their last appointment, the healthcare professional was very good or fairly good at treating them with care and concern. This was below the national average 86%. Where there had been issues with staff attitudes and behaviour, the provider had taken action to address this. For example, by providing training in conflict resolution and difficult conversations and clinical supervision.

However, feedback from the Friends and Family test was significantly more positive. On the day of our assessment, we observed staff being kind and helpful to people. There was a dedicated dignity champion within the practice that staff or people could go to for support. Arrangements were in place to promote people’s’ privacy. Staff we spoke with understood Gillick competency and there was a process to ensure young adults had control over their own privacy and the amount of parental involvement in managing their care and support.

Feedback from people did not always show that the service treated people as individuals and made sure people’s care, support and treatment met their needs and preferences. Data from the national GP Patient Survey showed that 82% of respondents stated that during their last appointment they were involved as much as they wanted to be in decisions about their care and treatment. This was below the national average of 91%. It also showed that 74% of respondents stated that during their last appointment, the healthcare professional was very good or fairly good at listening to them. This was below the national average of 87%. The provider had put an action plan in place to address the issues identified through the national GP Patient Survey.

However, the practice had identified 373 people registered with the service as carers which was approximately 4.4% of the practice population. A care coordinator and community nurse offered bespoke support to this group of people. As a result of the support offered to carers, the practice had been awarded the Carer Friendly Practice Quality Mark.

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. A system for online appointment triage was being implemented that ensured people with immediate needs had access to services. If a person was unable to complete the online form, they could call the practice and a receptionist would complete the form for them. Staff we spoke with knew the process for referral to emergency support, including mental health crisis teams.

The service cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported and enabled staff to deliver person-centred care. Feedback from staff was very positive with high levels of satisfaction across all staff groups. Staff told us they felt valued by leaders.

Leaders had driven a culture which prioritised good staff wellbeing and taken steps to recognise and meet the wellbeing needs of staff, which included the necessary resources and facilities for safe working, such as regular breaks and rest areas. They had also identified they employed a high percentage of female employees. In response to this, tailored support had been put in place to support this demographic. For example, training sessions about the menopause. Leaders aimed to celebrate staff successes and shared these through emails and appraisals. Two members of staff had recently been awarded long-term service awards.

Reasonable adjustments had been made to support staff to carry out their role. Staff gave examples of where they had made suggestions to improve their wellbeing and it had been acted on. For example, the introduction of daily clinical team briefs, screens in the reception area to reduce noise pollution and 2 kettles in the kitchen to ensure hot water was always available for drinks.

There were established support networks for staff to access if they required additional support to enable them to continue to deliver effective care and treatment. For example, the service had provided wellbeing sessions at their monthly training meetings such as salsa dancing and yoga. There was a wellbeing champion for staff to go to and a notice board in the staff room to signpost staff to support. Several members of staff gave examples of when they had been effectively supported by the leaders during stressful times in their life.