The Northolme Practice

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 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 service had a shared vision, strategy and culture. This was based on transparency, equity, equality, human rights, diversity, inclusion and engagement. Staff and leaders understood the challenges and the needs of people and their communities.

Staff we spoke with were very clear that they wanted to provide excellent, sustainable, accessible local care to patients, and that they also understood and appreciated how important their service was to their local community. Staff told us that the culture of the service was friendly and supportive, and that leaders and managers were approachable and compassionate.

The service was aware of local challenges which affected their service, such as an ageing population, and we saw examples of how the service worked with other partners and stakeholders to address these challenges and better meet patient need. Staff and leaders actively promoted equality and diversity and worked to identify the causes of any workforce inequalities. They demonstrated a positive and compassionate listening culture that focused on learning and development.

We did not look at Capable, compassionate and inclusive leaders during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Well-led.

We did not look at Freedom to speak up during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Well-led.

We did not look at Workforce equality, diversity and inclusion during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Well-led.

The service had clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability and governance processes. However, we found that in a number of cases that the service did not have a comprehensive oversight of risks such as those regarding health and safety across their operating sites.

All staff we spoke with were clear on their individual roles and responsibilities. Leaders proactively supported staff and regularly met with them to complete appraisals. Staff were aware how to access all required policies and procedures, which were kept up to date and reflected latest guidance. Leaders held regular meetings with staff, during which they discussed emerging risks and potential improvements to the service. Leaders clearly recorded any actions that arose from these meetings and shared these with staff. Management and staff meetings were detailed and covered key areas of care delivery. Whilst a number of governance and oversight processes were in place, these were not fully comprehensive. For example, a number of health and safety assessments were out of date, and there were identified gaps in staff immunisation and vaccination records. In addition, at the time of our assessment the service’s registered manager and partnership registration was not up to date. When we informed the service of these issues, they took immediate action to rectify them. For example, we saw that necessary health and safety risk assessments had been organised. Staff took confidentiality and information security seriously, which included verifying people’s identity during remote consultations. Staff submitted data and notifications to external agencies as required.

We did not look at Partnerships and communities during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Well-led.

We did not look at Learning, improvement and innovation during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Well-led.