The Village 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. The rating remains good following this assessment.

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.

Feedback from people who used the service was positive for being treated with kindness, empathy and compassion. We spoke with 5 people who told us that they were listened to and treated with respect and kindness.

The experience of people who used the service as indicated in the national GP Patient survey showed 82% of patients (compared to 86% nationally) felt that during their last appointment the healthcare professional was very good or fairly good at treating them with care and concern and 83% of patients (compared to 87% nationally) felt healthcare professionals were good at listening.

Staff displayed understanding and a non-judgemental attitude towards people. Staff told us how they gave people appropriate and timely information to understand their care, treatment, or condition. Staff gave us examples of kindness displayed towards patients, such as holding a free annual Christmas raffle for patients with the prizes being donated gifts from the staff team.

Chaperones were available to support people and notices were displayed to advise people about the role of a chaperone. There were arrangements to ensure confidentiality and privacy at the service, for example, if people wanted to speak to reception staff in confidence. The provider should look at how they can further improve patient privacy when speaking to the reception staff.

The service treated people as individuals and made sure people’s care, support and treatment met their needs and preferences. Peoples’ individual needs and equality characteristics were understood, and services were provided to meet these. Staff had been provided with training in equal opportunities. Staff we spoke with told us how they ensured the individual communication needs of people were known and accommodated. For example, a translation service was used to support people, sensory tools to reduce people’s anxiety and improve communication were available and information could be provided in different formats.

The service promoted people’s independence, so people had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing. The results of the National GP patient survey showed that 94% of patients (compared to 91% nationally) felt that during their last appointment they were involved as much as they wanted to be in decisions about their care and treatment. The survey also indicated that 90% of patients had confidence and trust in the healthcare professional they saw or spoke to during their last appointment (compared to 93% nationally). Patient feedback shared directly with CQC was positive about their involvement in decisions about care and treatment.

The national GP Patient Survey indicated people felt they were involved in decisions about their care and treatment, felt listened to and were treated with care and concern. Overall experience of their GP practice was rated positively by 79% of respondents to the survey (compared to 75% nationally). Staff and leaders told us how they responded to people’s immediate needs. People’s needs were prioritised to identify those who required urgent attention or referral. Staff had been trained in basic life support. Sepsis warning signs and protocols were displayed in treatment rooms. People’s records reflected how their needs were to be met and indicated people who may need an immediate response from the service, such as people who were receiving care at the end of their lives. Urgent referrals were followed up to ensure that people had received an appointment.

The provider promoted the wellbeing of staff to enable staff to deliver person-centred care. This included providing the necessary resources and facilities for safe working, such as regular breaks and rest areas. Reasonable adjustments were made to support staff and requests for flexible working were considered. Well-being activities and social events were provided to support staff and promote team working.

Staff development was promoted and staff told us how they had been supported to develop their skills and experience. There were processes for staff to give feedback on how the service operated and we were given examples of changes made as a result of listening to staff. We received feedback from 10 staff. Staff told us they felt valued and supported by colleagues and leaders. They felt able to contribute to decision making about how the service operated and that their opinions would be listened to.