Fressingfield Medical Centre

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 which was available in the waiting room and on their website. This was based on person centred and compassionate care, professionalism and support. Staff and leaders understood the challenges and the needs of people and their communities.

The Partners and Practice Manager met weekly to plan and review business arrangements. Service leaders demonstrated awareness of local challenges affecting delivery, including the projected growth in the local population over the coming years. They worked collaboratively with partner agencies to address these pressures. Capacity had been strengthened through a range of workforce initiatives, including increasing clinical hours provided by the Emergency Care Practitioner, supporting a Practice Nurse to develop and qualify as a Nurse Practitioner, and successfully recruiting to the Practice Nurse role.

Leaders actively promoted equality and diversity. They demonstrated a positive and compassionate listening culture that focused on people who used the service and staff. Staff we spoke with gave positive feedback about the service culture. Feedback from both care home and Patient Participation Group representatives was positive about the leadership and supportive culture of the service.

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 good governance. They used these to manage and deliver good quality, sustainable care, treatment and support. They acted on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, and shared this securely with others when appropriate.

All staff we spoke with were clear on their individual roles and responsibilities. Leaders provided proactive support and held regular appraisals and performance reviews with staff. The service had established governance processes in relation to the quality statements we reviewed during this assessment, which were appropriate for their service. The provider acknowledged and agreed to review safeguarding training levels to ensure they met the requirements of the service. Staff reported they could easily access up-to-date policies and procedures, which reflected the latest guidance.

Leaders held regular departmental meetings with staff, where information was shared, emerging risks were discussed, and opportunities for service improvement were identified. The Practice Manager attended all meetings to maintain oversight across the service. Meeting notes and actions were documented and stored on the service’s computer system for reference.

Staff took confidentiality and information security seriously. The provider had recently submitted applications to CQC to change their Registered Manager and were in the process of updating their partnership members.

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.