Pendeen 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

Patients were supported and treated with dignity and respect and involved as partners in their care. Patient’s care, treatment and support promoted equality, removed barriers and protected their rights. The practice treated patients as individuals and made sure their care and treatment met their needs and preferences. Staff were proactive in identifying and supporting patients who were carers. Leaders cared about and consistently promoted the wellbeing of their staff.

At our last assessment, we rated this key question as Good. At this assessment, we rated this key question as Outstanding.

This service scored 90 (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 treated patients with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. Processes were in place to ensure confidentiality in the reception area. For example, distressed patients or those wanting to speak confidentially with staff were offered a private space to do so. Staff told us they sent condolence cards for families experiencing bereavement and these had been appreciated by patients. Leaders told us condolence cards and flowers were sent to staff when they lost a family member or a beloved pet.

Staff who provided a chaperone service were aware of their responsibilities in maintaining a patient’s dignity and safety during an intimate examination.

We observed staff treating patients with kindness and respect within the waiting room and over the telephone. As part of our assessment, we invited patients to provide us with their feedback about the practice via our ‘Give Feedback on Care’ process. We received feedback from 3 patients which were all positive about the practice. Patients told us staff were very helpful, polite and attentive.

The National GP Patient Survey data reflected patients felt they were treated with kindness. For example, 95% of respondents stated that during their last appointment, the healthcare professional was good at treating them with care and concern. This was above the local average of 88% and national average of 86%. In addition, 97% of respondents found the reception and administrative team at this GP practice helpful, which was above the local average of 88% and the national average of 83%.

The practice gathered NHS ‘Friends and Family Test’ data, which consistently reflected high levels of patient satisfaction. The practice worked on addressing the small number of negative comments received and used these as an opportunity for learning and improvement.

The practice treated patients as individuals and made sure their care, support and treatment met their needs and preferences. Patients’ communication needs were met to enable them to be fully involved in their care. People were asked at registration about their first language and a patient’s preferred method of communication was recorded on their electronic record.

National GP Patient Survey data reflected that patients felt involved in decisions about their care. For example, 89% of respondents stated that during their last appointment they were involved as much as they wanted to be in decisions about their care and treatment. This was in line with the local average of 93% and national average of 91%.

Clinicians told us they treated patients holistically. The National GP Patient Survey reflected this as it showed 83% of patients said the healthcare professional they saw or spoke to was good at considering their mental well-being during their last general practice appointment. This was above the local average of 75% and national average of 74%. We found that the practice actively maintained a list of patients with learning difficulties and regularly maintained contact with them to support them.

Feedback we received from patients told us they were treated as individuals, this included praise from a relative of an elderly patient who explained the GP treating her father was “one of the very few professionals that still talk to him and not me. This is so important … It shows a great amount of respect which we both value greatly.”

The practice identified patients who were carers and offered them health checks, vaccinations, flexibility with appointments and referrals to social prescriber services for information and guidance on support available to them.

Two staff members were appointed as care co-ordinators and were the practice leads for carers. They told us they had been involved in the ‘Think Carer Working Group’ with the PCNs across Herefordshire. This project had been set up to improve the identification of carers and improve the services and information offered to them. As part of the working group, staff told us they had contributed to a standardised set of information packs and slides for all GP practices in Herefordshire.

Within the practice, there was a carers’ notice board and carers information was advertised on the television screen in the waiting room. There was a carer’s information pack established for patients who identify as carers through the patient registration process. Staff told us they worked with the PPG to identify carers for the flu and COVID clinics and had put up a poster within a neighbouring pharmacy to try and identify any other potential carers.

Staff told us they were currently focusing on the identification of young carers and were utilising their close working relationship with a local high school and college. One of the care co-ordinators had met with the deputy head teacher as part of this endeavour. One of the GPs had done a talk at a local college on careers in medicine with the students, and the subject of young carers was also discussed. Following our assessment, the practice had a arranged another event at the local high school for a GP and the PPG chairman to talk to the children about identifying young carers and the support the practice can offer to them.

Staff explained they had developed strong working links with the social prescribing team and had highlighted carers within the practice newsletter and website. Staff explained the social prescribing team had actively promoted health checks to patients who were carers and veterans and as a result, the Healthcare Assistants within the practice had delivered the most amount of health checks for these patients in the last year in the Primary Care Network.

As a result of all these initiatives, there had been a 25% increase in the number of patients identified and coded on the clinical system as a carer, in the last 12 months. At the time of our assessment the practice had identified 449 patients who were carers which equated to 5% of the registered patients.

Staff were also able to provide us with examples of patients who had been positively impacted as a result of social prescribing with regards to mental wellbeing, financial support and social activities.

In addition, a pathway had been developed to support foodbank referrals for those in need, focusing on easier access. An audit was undertaken of foodbank use for patients with long term conditions, and health reviews were promoted for these patients.

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

Staff helped patients and their carers to access advocacy and community-based services. Equipment was provided to support patients’ independence such as a hearing loop for patients with hearing impairments.

Results from the National GP Patient Survey showed that 82% of patients were offered a choice of time or day when they last tried to make a general practice appointment. This was considerably higher than both the local average of 58% and the national average of 54%.

The practice listened to and understood patient’s needs, views and wishes. Staff responded to patient’s needs in the moment and acted to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress. Staff we spoke with knew the process for referral to emergency support.

There was a system for appointment triage that ensured people with immediate needs had access to services. Staff told us this was working well and if they had any concerns about a patient and there were no appointments left on the day, they could discuss this with the clinicians who would assess the patient’s needs. We observed staff were very attentive to patients needs and assisted them positively.

The National GP Patient Survey showed that 87% of patients described their experience of contacting their GP practice as good. This was higher than the local average of 77% and the national average of 70%. In addition, 91% of patients reported they knew wat the next step would be after contacting the GP practice, which was above the local average of 88% and the national average of 83%.

Leaders cared about and consistently promoted the wellbeing of their staff. Leaders told us staff wellbeing was at the heart of the culture within the practice and that a healthy, supported team was essential to delivering high quality patient care.

Staff were encouraged to talk about issues that are affecting them, and an external occupational health service funded by the practice was available for staff to utilise. In addition, staff were encouraged to use the NHS confidential wellbeing support line and posters advertising this service were displayed in the staff room and more discreetly in the staff toilets.

Within the staff room, we observed a wellbeing noticeboard which showcased what the team had been doing in their spare time such as staff participating in triathalons and attending theatre groups together.

Leaders told us they had re-organised lunchbreaks so that staff can eat together or go on group walks. Staff told us the practice organised outings, events, quizzes, and vouchers for staff.

As part of promoting healthy lifestyles, the practice provided a weekly supply of fresh fruit in the staff room. In addition, the practice had purchased raised desks and under table step machines for staff to use.

Leaders told us they were arranging a picnic bench in the practice gardens for staff to use at lunch and break times. In addition, an air conditioning unit for the secretarial room was in the process of being arranged, in response to staff feedback. The practice had also invested in branded fleeces for staff for the winter months and branded polo shirts for the summer.

Staff told us they were valued by leaders. They were positive about the support they had received and about the positive culture that was instilled in the practice. Staff told us leaders were approachable, supportive and friendly and there was a positive work environment. This was reflected in a settled workforce that did not have a high turnover of staff. Staff explained the stable workforce had positively impacted patients by providing continuity of care, and staff who were familiar with local referral pathways to help improve the patient journey between primary and secondary care.

Leaders told us staff were trained in multiple roles to allow cross-cover for annual leave and staff sickness and to facilitate a more effective service for patients. Flexible and hybrid working was utilised by clinicians who undertook some administrative tasks, training, and telephone clinics from home. Leaders told us they also tried to support flexible working hours for staff where possible.