Stanmore House Surgery Also known as Dr Cockrell and Partners

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 86 (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 had a very clear 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 practice promoted a positive, compassionate, listening culture that supported trust and understanding between staff and patients using the service. The practice worked by the following values: patient centred care, safety, continuity of care and teamwork. Staff shared a common aim to do the best they could for patients and strived to provide safe, high-quality care.

The practice 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. GP partners worked collaboratively to provide a safe service. They always did so with integrity, openness and honesty. Leaders told us they respected and valued their colleagues. This was reflected in the staff feedback we received. Staff members told us leaders in the practice were approachable, responded to all concerns raised and modelled the values of the practice. Staff feedback also told us leaders had a hands-on approach and set high standards by example and gave useful and constructive feedback. It was clear that all leaders cared about doing their best for their patients and in order to do so, worked coherently with each other, creating an inclusive environment.

The practice fostered a positive culture where staff felt they could speak up and have their voice heard. The practice had a Freedom to Speak up policy that informed staff about the internal and external Freedom to Speak up Guardians. Staff were aware who the internal and external Freedom to Speak up Guardians were. Information that included relevant contact details was easily accessible on posters on a display board. Leaders told us staff played a vital role in helping the organisation improve its services for all patients and the working environment for the team. Staff told us they were able to raise concerns and felt their comments were valued and acted upon appropriately.

The practice valued diversity in their workforce. They worked towards an inclusive and fair culture by improving equality and equity for people who work for them. There were policies and procedures to promote equality and diversity. We reviewed staff training and found that all staff had completed their equality and diversity training. Leaders made reasonable adjustments to support staff to carry out their roles well.

The practice had established clear governance processes and leadership structure that were appropriate for their service to deliver quality, sustainable care, treatment and support. The practice acted on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes. The practice maintained an effective governance framework. For example, regular clinical meetings and practice meetings were had and actions were clearly recorded and shared with staff. Learning events were reviewed weekly. Leaders and managers supported staff, and all staff we spoke with were clear on their individual roles and responsibilities. Managers met with staff regularly to complete appraisals and performance reviews. Staff were encouraged to complete continuous professional development to enhance their skills, knowledge and competencies. Both team and multidisciplinary meetings were held on a regular basis. Policies and procedures were accessible on a shared system and were reviewed accordingly. We saw evidence of clinical audits that reflected improvements to patient care. Staff took patient confidentiality and information security seriously.

The practice clearly understood their duty to collaborate and work in partnership to support care provision, enabling services to work seamlessly for patients. Staff and leaders engaged with people, communities and partners to share learning with each other and promote continuous improvement. The practice had good working relationships with other practices within their primary care network. The practice had an active patient participation group (PPG) which was supportive of the practice in driving improvements. The PPG acted as a channel for communication between the local community and the practice. We spoke with representatives of the PPG who gave positive feedback about the practice and gave examples of improvements which had been made following patient feedback. The PPG took part in a community fundraising campaign that raised money to purchase a defibrillator now located at a nearby pub. The PPG also created a walking group, that was well attended. We received positive feedback from patients about this walking group that offered them a sense of being a part of a friendly community. The practice told us they had visited a local beavers club to give an insight into what it was like being a doctor and allowed the children to use some of the GP equipment. The wellbeing lead at the practice organised an event to fundraise for Bowel Cancer UK. A book swap was available in the waiting area, these donations supported local charities. The practice also raised money to help veterans on VE day.

The practice had a strong focus on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation. They consistently encouraged creative and forward‑thinking approaches to delivering equality of experience, improved outcomes and enhanced quality of life for people. Leaders actively contributed to safe, effective practice, fostering a culture where learning was embedded into everyday care.

There were many examples of staff development through various roles in the practice. This demonstrated a supportive environment that enabled learning. To further strengthen the services they offered, staff invested in training staff in specialist areas such as joint injections and gynaecology. Therefore, patients did not have to be referred or travel to another service to receive this specialised care. Leaders appointed a full-time prescribing pharmacist to enable the team to focus on shared care agreements and audits.

The practice had implemented a robust system to ensure all blood test results were reviewed and actioned on the day that they were received. A buddy system ensured that responsibility was clearly covered during periods of leave and on non-working days. Patient safety was further strengthened as GP partners reviewed results over the weekend. On several occasions, this enabled urgent hospital admissions based on results identified outside normal working hours. This also reduced workload pressures on a Monday morning which was the busiest day of the week.

The practice was committed to providing reasonable adjustments to provide better outcomes for vulnerable people. A Saturday clinic was created for a quieter and less pressured environment and longer appointments were available to enable all tests, to be completed in a single visit. Extended access for covid and flu clinics ensured this was accessible for all cohorts of patients.

There was a culture of continuous improvement with staff given time and resources to try new ideas. These initiatives demonstrated an ongoing commitment to improving services across multiple areas, including access, safety, workforce development and internal processes. These examples demonstrated how the practice actively contributed to safe, effective practice.