The Quarter Jack 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. 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 always treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. Staff treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect.

The service’s Friends and Family Test (FFT) feedback was reviewed regularly, with 59 people responding to the most recent survey. Of these, 98% stated they would be likely to recommend the service. Evidence showed that result had increased since the previous survey, including the percentage of people likely to recommend the service.

During our onsite visit, we observed staff respecting people’s privacy and speaking to people in a respectful way.

The service treated people as individuals and made sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences. They took account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics.

People’s personal, cultural, social, religious and equality characteristics needs were understood and met. Communication needs were met to enable them to be fully involved in their care. Leaders told us their patient registration form asked people to inform the service about their personal, cultural, social and religious needs and communication requirements. These were electronically coded onto records to ensure people’s needs could be met.

The service promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing.

Staff supported people and their carers in accessing advocacy and community-based services. People reported high levels of satisfaction with the service, as they understood what the next steps would be after contacting the GP service. Systems, processes, and guidance informed staff on how to maintain a person’s independence, choice, and control. These included training on obtaining consent and supporting clinical staff with advanced life decision-making policies. Additional training covered the Mental Capacity Act, safeguarding, and learning disability and autism awareness. Staff were able to assist people in obtaining support within the community. The information was used to signpost appropriately and was built into the service’s triage toolkit, which was designed and regularly updated by the service’s GP partners.

The service listened to and understood people’s needs, views and wishes. Staff responded to people’s needs in the moment and acted to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress.

There was a system for appointment triage that ensured people with immediate needs had access to services. Staff we spoke with understood the process for referral to emergency support, including mental health crisis teams.

A comprehensive triage toolkit, created by the GP partners, enabled staff to assess needs as they present to them. The toolkit included built-in red flags and acronyms to support quick decision-making when required. It also contained a glossary to assist with abbreviations and acronyms.

The triage toolkit was designed to ensure appointments are routed appropriately to the right clinician or team. If a reviewed eConsult highlights any red flags and staff is unsure, they have access to the GP’s named personal assistant, the senior leadership team, and a duty doctor. The service also audits 10 random eConsult’s monthly to review whether they have been handled appropriately by the team.

During our onsite visit, we reviewed accessibility and availability of appointments. The service had urgent, same-day appointments available, routine appointments could be booked within one week, and clinics such as NHS health checks, cervical screening, diabetic reviews, and phlebotomy were all accessible within 2 weeks.

The service cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care.

Staff told us they felt valued by leaders. Leaders had taken steps to recognise and meet staff wellbeing needs, providing the necessary resources and facilities for safe working, including regular breaks and rest areas. Staff reported feeling supported if they were struggling at work. They were invited to participate in annual surveys to provide feedback on the service, helping to inform improvements and support ongoing development. The service had also introduced a staff suggestion board where active participation was seen. Staff had the option to remain anonymous or include their name if they wanted feedback. One example of the suggestion board working, was where a staff member requested a toaster so they could prepare tea and toast in the morning. Staff reported this had boosted morale.

Leaders also ensured staff had the option to attend twice-yearly staff parties, usually held in the summer and at Christmas. When all-staff meetings were held, the service provided lunch and ice creams.

In addition, one of the service’s leaders had created a running club, with 5 staff members taking part.