Hillview Family Practice Also known as Dr Montague & Partners

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. Leaders 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 a shared vision, strategy and culture. This was based on transparency, equity, equality and human rights, diversity and inclusion, engagement, and understanding challenges and the needs of people and their communities.

Staff were positive about the culture within the service. Values were actively integrated into daily practice, establishing an open and respectful culture. Staff told us they felt valued, motivated, included, and supported because leaders listened and recognised their work. Leaders were approachable and encouraged staff to speak up to share ideas or raise concerns. There were regular supervision and meetings, which allowed staff to reflect, and learn collaboratively.

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 told us leaders were approachable and responded to any concerns raised. Staff also told us leaders modelled the values of the practice. We saw the leadership team worked with other GP services in the primary care network, as well as hospitals and were engaged in the development of primary care services within the local area.

Staff told us leaders were approachable and responded to any concerns raised. There were regular management and staff meetings to ensure all staff members were aware of changes to service delivery.

The service had an equality and diversity policy and promoted equity to all people. Staff were able to request adjustments to working at any time. Examples included, flexible working hours and rotas to support family or caring responsibilities and home working arrangements where possible. Adjustments could also be requested for cultural and faith needs, such as flexibility for prayer times or dietary requirements during practice events.

Recruitment records were complete in line with national guidance. Staff received induction, supervision and training and leaders offered ongoing support and development.

Leaders implemented cross training across admin roles to ensure continuity of service during times of pressure. This enabled staff to develop in their roles.

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

The service had an open culture where staff felt confident to speak up if they had concerns or ideas for improvement. Staff told us they were listened to and felt safe raising issues without fear of negative consequences. Leaders promoted honesty and transparency, encouraging staff to share concerns early so they could be addressed quickly. There were clear policies, and staff knew how to access them if they wanted to raise a concern formally. Regular team meetings and supervision sessions gave further opportunities for staff to talk openly about their experiences.

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, for example we saw adjustments to support disabled staff were in place.

Staff we spoke with told us about career development and opportunities for learning. Staff gave examples of reasonable adjustments the service had made to support them both at work and in personal circumstances. There were processes to support staff wellbeing which were accessible to all staff. All staff had completed mandatory training around Equality, Diversity and Inclusion to help them understand about protected characteristics, bullying and harassment.

The service had clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability and good governance. They used these to manage and deliver high-quality, sustainable care, treatment and support. They always act on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, and share this securely with others when appropriate.

Leaders met with staff regularly to complete appraisals and performance reviews. The service had established governance processes that were appropriate for their service. Leaders held regular practice meetings with staff, during which they discussed clinical concerns and emerging risks. Leaders clearly recorded any actions arising from these meetings and ensured they shared these with staff.

The service had plans to promote sustainability and were proactively working to reduce its carbon footprint with some staff cycling to and from the service. They had signed up to the Green Impact for Health Toolkit to become a Green Practice.

Staff felt the service was organised and well managed. There was regular and clear communication. They had access to all required policies and procedures which were reviewed regularly by leaders. All staff we spoke to felt supported and were clear on their individual roles and responsibilities. Staff took confidentiality and information security seriously.

Regular safety audits are performed with clear actions. There was a business continuity plan which detailed emergency preparedness in different scenarios, such as electrical failure or flooding. There were robust systems and processes to ensure mandatory checks were carried out, such as fire extinguishers and calibration of clinical equipment.

There were effective processes for staff recruitment, and we saw evidence of appropriate checks being carried out for new staff. Staff had completed all mandatory training, such as Data Security and Protection, and leaders had oversight of what had been completed. Workforce planning was prepared 4 months in advance.

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

The service worked with local hospitals and primary care network on Quality Improvement projects.

The service had a social prescriber with strong links to the community to help people live more independently.

The service was an accredited training practice and offered opportunities to student doctors to learn with them. Leaders told us it had strengthened links with local schools, colleges and universities.

The service offered extended clinics for Covid and Flu vaccines. Extended clinic times at weekends and for smear appointments.

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 people. They actively contribute to safe, effective practice and research.

We saw evidence of a range of audits and quality improvement projects. The projects were designed to improve performance, outcomes, and patient experience. For example, a Medicines Optimisation Prescribing Quality Scheme for a Hypertension Management project. This saw improvements in people’s symptom management and the outcome was shared with other services.

The service was piloting the use of AI during consultation and clinical huddles to improve efficiency. Training for this was gradually being rolled out to partners and leaders within the service.