Rockliffe Court Surgery

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 were treated with kindness and compassion. Staff protected their privacy and dignity. They treated them as individuals and supported their preferences. People had choice in their care and treatment. The service supported staff wellbeing.

This service scored 80 (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 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. Patients or relatives who had been through a recent bereavement were provided with support from the practice. The practice demonstrated that they were continually striving to improve services for patients. The partners had funded an extension to provide an improved environment for patients receiving care. The extra rooms enabled the practice to offer more appointments and provide care which patients previously would have needed to attend secondary care to obtain.

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 practice had recently developed a clear policy for transgender patients (created with engagement from transgender patients at the practice) and provided holistic care to patients who needed extra support around gender related treatment or advice. The practice leadership recognised the sensitive and topical nature of needing that policy and worked with staff to ensure they had the right training. Patient feedback recognised the positive nature of the practices work.

The practice provided support to vulnerable patient groups, such as veterans. Engaging with local and regional veterans’ groups to provide support when needed. The care navigator within the practice demonstrated a strong desire to ensure patients were supported not only in relation to healthcare, but in any aspect of their lives. The practice had provided support in relation to finances, housing and employment to patients who were struggling. Administrative staff demonstrated their knowledge of vulnerable patient groups and were able to recognise where a patient may need extra support around protected characteristics. Leaders continuously reviewed feedback and amended care where needed including longer appointments, separate waiting rooms for patients and a PCN-employed physio was available onsite in response to numbers of patients with musculoskeletal problems. The practice actively responded directly to patient feedback on the website. This was done monthly. This feedback included rationales for decisions made by the practice.

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 able to choose in most cases which practitioner they wanted to see. Admin staff were able to signpost patients to the most appropriate clinician following the triage process. The most recent National GP Patient Survey told us that 90% of patients who responded were able to see a clinician of their choice. Staff helped patients and their carers to access advocacy and community-based services.

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. There was a system for appointment triage that ensured people with immediate needs had access to services and patient groups such as those receiving palliative care were coded appropriately. Staff we spoke with knew the process for referral to emergency support, including mental health crisis teams. Staff were all trained in recognising the signs of sepsis and a deteriorating patient. Staff knew where to access emergency equipment.

The service always cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported and enabled staff to deliver person-centred care. We saw evidence of staff meetings, and incentives.

Staff told us they were valued by leaders and that all members of leadership were approachable. 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 regular breaks and rest areas.

Staff reported being supported if they were struggling at work or in personal life. We saw team building days were established within the practice. All staff within the practice who completed a questionnaire reported feeling valued by management. It was evident that staff were given opportunities to develop professionally. Staff told us the team worked well together, and regardless of their role within the practice everyone was treated with respect. Staff were encouraged to develop by leaders.