Rockliffe Court 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

Leaders and staff had a shared vision and culture based on listening, learning and trust. Leaders were visible, knowledgeable and supportive, helping staff develop in their roles. Staff felt supported to give feedback and were treated equally, free from bullying or harassment. Staff understood their roles and responsibilities. Managers worked with the local community to deliver the best possible care and were receptive to new ideas. There was a culture of continuous improvement with staff given time and resources to try new ideas.

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 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. Examples of that included updating procedures for referrals and the 2-week waiting period for chest x-rays and cancer screenings.

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. 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 had inclusive leaders 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. The leadership team worked as a close-knit unit, who responded to concerns, events and issues within the practice in a proactive way.

Staff told us leaders in the practice were approachable and engaged professionally to any concerns raised. Staff also told us leaders modelled the values of the practice. 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, particularly in relation to safeguarding. The practice manager regularly did a shift on reception.

The service fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard.

The practice had established Freedom to Speak Up arrangements with other practices in the primary care network. There was a culture of speaking up where staff actively raised concerns and those who did (including external whistleblowers) were supported, without fear of detriment. Staff were aware of how to raise concerns, and we saw examples where staff had used the arrangements in place to positive effect, including updating staff room facilities.

The service 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. We saw senior leaders had addressed concerns related to discrimination including incidents where the practices zero tolerance policy was instigated. Reasonable adjustments had been made to ensure all staff were valued. For example we saw adjustments to support disabled staff were in place and working from home arrangements were supported where appropriate and necessary.

The service 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. We saw senior leaders had addressed concerns related to discrimination including incidents where the practices zero tolerance policy was instigated. Reasonable adjustments had been made to ensure all staff were valued. For example we saw adjustments to support disabled staff were in place and working from home arrangements were supported where appropriate and necessary.

The service understood their duty to collaborate and work in partnership, so services work seamlessly for people. They shared information and learning with partners and collaborated for improvement.

Staff and leaders engaged with people, communities, and partners to share learning with each other that results in continuous improvements. They use these networks to identify new or innovative ideas that could lead to better outcomes for people, including improved prescription access and safeguarding procedures.

The provider worked with other practices within their primary care network.

The service had a strong focus on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation and local system. They always 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 practice had a quality improvement plan in place to help drive improvements in services. This focussed on the appointment system. All staff were encouraged to put forward and test out new ways of working including the use of text messages when engaging with patients regarding medicines reviews.

Leaders consistently reviewed friends and family feedback and other forms of patient feedback, and they would act where they could. They would also provide information if it was something they could not do. Transparency and honesty were a key theme that the practice staff exemplified during the assessment.

The practice identified the major contributors of greenhouse gas emissions in their operations including prescribing, energy use (and generation), staff and patient travel and procurement of goods and services. They had led by example, including through the installation of solar panels and a battery in the practice to reduce the amount of fossil fuels used to generate their electricity. This has seen the practice placed in the top 10% of practices country-wide for their low carbon footprint since 2020. This had also seen over the past 2-3 years a situation where electricity generated by the solar panels and stored in the onsite battery result in 6 months of no electricity needed to be purchased by the practice. This reduced costs and allowed the practice to reallocate funds towards patient care and staff wellbeing.