Laurel Bank Surgery Also known as Malpas Surgery Laurel Bank Malpas

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 provider had a clear vision and values which were understood by staff and reflected in the way services were delivered.

Leaders described a shared ambition to deliver high-quality, safe and patient-focused care. The provider’s vision and values were regularly discussed with staff through meetings, protected learning time sessions and the appraisal process. Staff were encouraged to reflect on how their work contributed to the organisation’s values and priorities.

Following the merger, leaders placed significant emphasis on developing a positive and inclusive culture across the organisation. Staff told us they felt supported during the transition and described regular communication from leaders to help ensure staff understood changes and developments across the practice.

Staff were involved in shaping the culture and future direction of the organisation. For example, following the merger, staff were invited to contribute ideas about the type of organisation they wanted the practice to become and the values they wanted it to reflect. Leaders used this feedback to help develop a shared culture across the merged service.

Leaders were visible and approachable. Staff described a culture of honesty, openness and mutual support, and told us they felt valued, listened to and able to contribute ideas about service development. Leaders also took steps to support staff wellbeing and engagement, including opportunities for staff from different sites to come together and build relationships following the merger.

Leaders had the skills, knowledge and experience needed to carry out their roles effectively. They promoted a culture that was compassionate, inclusive and supportive.

Staff described leaders as visible and approachable. Leaders worked across all three practice sites, helping ensure staff had regular contact with members of the leadership team regardless of their usual place of work. Leaders maintained regular communication with staff and encouraged questions, feedback and discussion. Staff told us they felt comfortable raising concerns and seeking support when needed.

Leaders demonstrated a commitment to creating an inclusive working environment. Staff described examples of flexible working arrangements, support for individual needs and reasonable adjustments where required. Leaders took account of staff circumstances and worked with them to support their wellbeing and ability to do their jobs.

The provider supported staff development and learning. Staff were given opportunities to undertake training and develop skills relevant to their roles, helping ensure the organisation maintained the knowledge and expertise required to meet patients' needs.

The provider fostered a culture where staff felt able to speak up and raise concerns.

Staff told us they felt comfortable discussing concerns and were confident they would be listened to. Leaders encouraged open communication and maintained an approachable and supportive presence across the organisation.

The provider had a range of arrangements in place to support staff to raise concerns, including Freedom to Speak Up arrangements, IT shared systems, practice meetings and direct access to leaders. Staff described an open-door approach and told us they would feel confident raising concerns about patient safety, quality of care or staff wellbeing.

Leaders sought to address concerns at an early stage through discussion and engagement with staff. Learning from incidents, complaints and staff feedback was shared through meetings and other communication channels to support learning and improvement across the organisation.

The provider promoted equality, diversity and inclusion within the workforce.

Leaders described a commitment to creating a fair and inclusive working environment where staff felt respected and supported. Staff told us they were treated fairly and felt able to discuss individual needs with leaders.

The provider considered the needs and circumstances of staff when making decisions about working arrangements and support. Staff described a positive approach to inclusion and told us leaders worked with individuals to help them remain in work and perform their roles effectively.

Opportunities for training and development were available to staff across different roles. Leaders sought to ensure staff were supported to develop their skills and contribute to the organisation, helping promote an inclusive and supportive workplace culture.

The provider had clear governance and management arrangements which supported the delivery of safe, effective and sustainable care.

Leaders had oversight of the quality and safety of services across the organisation. Following the merger, the provider identified areas where governance arrangements required strengthening and implemented a programme of work to align systems, policies and processes across all practice sites.

Risks to the service were identified, discussed and monitored through established governance arrangements. Leaders used meetings, audits, performance information and feedback from staff and patients to support oversight and decision-making. Actions arising from incidents, audits and identified risks were allocated, monitored and reviewed to support improvement.

The provider demonstrated a proactive approach to managing change and maintaining sustainable services. Leaders recognised challenges associated with operating across multiple sites and took action to strengthen governance, improve consistency and support the long-term delivery of care.

The provider worked with partners and the wider community to help improve services and meet the needs of the local population.

Leaders demonstrated a strong commitment to partnership working and were involved in developing new ways of delivering care with local health and care organisations. They told us this helped ensure local patient needs were reflected in future service planning and development.

The provider worked closely with a range of partners, including the Primary Care Network, community services, local authorities and voluntary sector organisations. These relationships helped the provider understand local needs, support population health initiatives and connect patients with wider sources of support and wellbeing services.

The provider promoted a culture of learning, improvement and innovation.

Leaders used information from audits, incidents, patient feedback and service reviews to identify opportunities for improvement. Learning was shared across the organisation and actions were monitored to help ensure improvements were embedded in practice.

The provider was able to demonstrate how learning had led to change. Audits and quality improvement projects were used to review clinical practice, strengthen monitoring arrangements and improve patient care. Leaders also described the merger as an opportunity to review inherited systems, identify risks and implement improvements across the organisation.

Data was used to identify priorities and support improvement activity. Clinical searches and population health information helped the provider identify patients requiring review, monitor outcomes for patients and target improvement work for groups at greater risk of poorer health outcomes.

Staff were encouraged to develop their knowledge and skills through training, development opportunities and protected learning time sessions. Leaders also described a commitment to learning from others and sharing good practice with partner organisations to support wider improvement across the health and care system.