Fairfield PMS

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 service had a shared vision, strategy and culture. Staff had the opportunity to contribute to the development of the practice’s mission statement. This was based on transparency, equity, equality and human rights, diversity and inclusion, engagement, and understanding challenges and the needs of patients and their communities.

Staff were aware of the practice’s vision and the importance of this to patients’ experience.

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.

Staff feedback about practice leadership was positive. Staff told us leaders in the practice was approachable and responded to any concerns raised. Staff also told us leaders modelled the values of the practice.

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 both internally and external to the practice. Staff were aware of how to raise concerns and knew the names of the Freedom to Speak up Guardians.

The service valued diversity in their workforce. They work 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. Adjustments had been made to ensure all staff were valued.

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 act 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. Staff told us they were supported to develop skills by receiving training in areas of interest. 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 understood their duty to collaborate and work in partnership, so services work seamlessly for patients. They share information and learning with partners and collaborate for improvement.

The provider worked with other practices within their primary care network to offer extended access, and flu and covid vaccination programmes. The practice worked with other practices in the primary care network to run a community café aimed at reducing loneliness and social isolation for people living locally.

The service 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 patients. They actively contribute to safe, effective practice and research.

The practice had a quality improvement plan in place to help drive improvements in services. For example, the provider had implemented a protocol to improve the coding of patients identified as being pre-diabetic.

The practice had recently made changes to the appointment system where all appointment requests were submitted via an online form and then triaged by the duty doctor. Prior to the changes, the provider held meetings with staff, provided information to patients, and held discussions with other local practices that had adopted this model. Staff were encouraged to submit ideas for improvement and leaders held weekly meetings to discuss any concerns or positive outcomes. There were opportunities for clinical and non-clinical staff to work together to understand each other’s roles.