The Calverton 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 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.

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.

This service scored 79 (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.

The service had a mission statement, which was displayed in the practice and committed to provide high quality and accessible healthcare and to treat patients with courtesy and respect.

Staff were positive about culture within the practice and described it as open, transparent and supportive.

The practice future plan was aligned to the NHS 5 year forward view plan; looking to increase the skill set within the community with a view to reducing admissions, to improve access through shared local resources and including skill sharing across the PCN to enable the provision of an increased range and quality of care.

The service was the only GP practice within the local community and the patient list size was continually increasing. Leaders were aware of the challenges this presented and had plans in place to address them.

The service had exceptionally 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 always did so with integrity, openness and honesty.

The service had an experienced and strong leadership team. Staff spoke positively about the leadership, that they were approachable and responded to any concerns raised. 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.

The practice was an established part of the local community.

The service fostered a positive culture where staff told us they felt able to speak up and were confident if they did so any concerns would be acted upon.

Staff were aware of who the freedom to speak up guardian was and what whistle blowing was. The practice had established Freedom to Speak up arrangements with the Integrated Care Board. The practice had carried out an independent and anonymous staff survey to allow staff to freely give their views on all aspects of the running of the practice.

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 good governance. They used these to manage and deliver good quality, sustainable care, treatment and support. They generally acted on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes. We found the practice did not hold the relevant information relating to the immunisation status for all staff but were in the process of gathering this.

We also found the medicines refrigerator in the dispensary was overstocked and the data logger in this refrigerator was not working. Both of these issues were resolved on the day of our onsite assessment.

Leaders and managers supported staff, and staff we spoke with were clear on their individual roles and responsibilities. Managers met with staff regularly to complete appraisals and performance reviews. Some appraisals were overdue but the practice provided dates these were scheduled for.

There were governance processes appropriate for the service. Staff could access all required policies and procedures. Managers held regular practice meetings with staff, during which they discussed relevant clinical concerns and emerging risks.

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 collaborate for improvement. The provider worked with other practices within their primary care network (PCN) to offer enhanced access appointments. Staff were encouraged and supported to attend local forums which provided networking opportunities with other services within the primary care network.

The practice had an active Patient Participation Group and worked with them to provide community health events for example relating to wellbeing and sleep. The practice also had a stall at the annual community get together. The practice acted on feedback from the PPG to improve services.

The practice worked closely with the care homes where some of their patients lived to ensure a joined up service. Feedback from representatives of care homes we spoke to was positive about all practice staff and their responsiveness to requests and their knowledge of their patients.

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 contributed to safe, effective practice and research.

The service was a well established training practice for GP trainees, medical and nursing students and also undertook work experience placements. Systems were in place to support trainees and students during their placements. The service used learning from events, complaints and feedback to continually improve the service they provided.

Staff participated in quality improvement work, including their own audits and primary care research.