Thorneloe Lodge 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

We looked for evidence that the service involved people and treated them with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect. 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 practice treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. Arrangements were in place to promote patients’ privacy. For example, private areas were available for patients if required. Staff shared examples of how they knew and understood patient’s needs, including their preferences, wishes, personal histories and backgrounds. During the site visit, we observed staff interactions with patients and found that staff were polite and respectful. Patient feedback also reflected this. Patients felt staff listened to them and communicated appropriately with them and in a way, they could understand. The practice showed compassion as they offered support to help patients use the NHS app. Data from the latest National GP patient survey showed the practice was 5% higher than the national average when patients were asked about how easy it is to contact the GP using this app. We spoke with members from the patient participation group (PPG) and they expressed how they felt they were treated with kindness, compassion and dignity.

The practice treated people as individuals and made sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences. Personal, cultural, social, religious and equality characteristic needs were understood and met. To ensure patients were engaged in their care and treatment, whilst being supported to maximise their experience and outcomes, the practice had systems and processes in place to make sure people’s communication needs were met. For example, the practice noted their communication preference on their patient record and had access to interpreter services, including British Sign Language interpreters when needed. Patients were coded on the system dependent on their needs. For example, if patients were a carer or had a learning disability or autism, so all staff were aware of their specific preferences. Longer GP appointments were available, and staff could also refer patients to the social prescriber or carers champion for additional support.

The practice promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment, and wellbeing. Staff helped patients and their carers to access advocacy and community-based services. Staff shared examples of how they supported people to have choice and control over their own care and to make decisions about their care, treatment and well-being. There were systems in place to support a multi-disciplinary approach in the co-ordination of care for patients including those receiving end of life care. National GP Patient Survey data showed that 87% of the respondents felt involved as much as they wanted to be in decisions about their care and treatment during their last general practice appointment. Staff ensured that all necessary information was accessible between services, including the referral pathways to ensure patient preferences were met, to support and maximise patient’s independence and outcomes from care and treatment.

The practice 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 the appropriate services. Staff told us they were alert to patient needs and took time to observe, communicate and engage in discussions regarding their immediate needs. Staff could recognise when patients needed urgent help and would use appropriate support to assist. For example, the duty doctor was also available alongside the care navigation team to ensure the patient’s immediate needs were addressed appropriately. Staff we spoke with knew the process for referral to emergency support, including mental health crisis teams. The social prescribers could offer support and signposting to other relevant services to meet the needs of patients.

The practice cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported staff to always deliver person-centred care. Staff told us they felt supported and valued by their leaders and colleagues. This positive feedback about workforce wellbeing was reaffirmed by staff in their questionnaires. During protected learning time, staff felt that wellbeing was always a focus, and staff had a sense of belonging and the ability to contribute to decision making. The practice had systems and processes in place for people and staff to provide feedback, raise concerns and suggest ways to improve the service or patient and staff experiences. Leaders had taken steps to recognise and meet the wellbeing needs of staff. Staff reported being listened to and supported if struggling with workload. For example, a workload audit was completed, and improvements were made to improve staff wellbeing. The practice had a wellbeing champion that advocated wellbeing health promotion sessions. The practice also organised social events outside of work throughout the year to support good wellbeing.