Nunwell 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 70 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

There was a culture of kindness and respect within the practice. The practice treated people with empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. The National GP Patient Survey Data demonstrated that 89% of respondents felt the healthcare professional was good at listening to them, which was in line with the local average and higher than the national average of 87%. 90% of respondents felt they were treated with care and concern during their last appointment, which was higher than the local average of 88% and national average of 86%. The practice had a caring approach to those who had recently been bereaved. Staff demonstrated that they considered patients specific needs and wishes. Arrangements were in place to promote patients’ privacy. For example, private areas were available for patients if this was preferred, chaperones were available, privacy curtains were in all clinical rooms and music was playing so confidential conversations could not be heard. During the site visit, we observed staff being helpful and polite to patients.

The practice treated people as individuals and made sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences. Personal, cultural, social, religious and equality characteristic needs were understood and met. Systems were in place to make sure patients were treated in ways that suited them. During registration, patients were able to highlight any requirements or preferences that were important to them. These needs were then recorded on their patient record, allowing all staff to be aware of individual preferences. The practice made reasonable adjustments for patients with disabilities and offered interpreting and translation services for those whose first language was not English, including British Sign Language support. Additionally, information could be provided on paper rather than digitally for patients who had difficulty using technology, ensuring that communication needs were met effectively.

The practice promoted people’s independence and supported them to make decisions about their care, treatment and wellbeing. They provided patients with information and guidance to enable them to make informed decisions about their care.Staff shared examples of how they supported people to have choice and control over their own care and to make decisions about their care, treatment and well-being. National GP Patient Survey data showed that 95% of the respondents felt involved as much as they wanted to be in decisions about their care and treatment during their last general practice appointment, which was higher than the local average of 93% and national average of 91%.

The practice 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. Staff knew how to respond when a patient needed urgent attention and knew the processes to follow to ensure emergency support was given. The practice had developed a policy to highlight what to do when an unwell patient walks into the practice. We reviewed a random sample of staff training files during the onsite visit and found that all staff were up to date with their basic life support training. However, we found that sepsis training was not a mandatory course for all staff. We were therefore not assured that all staff knew how to respond in this instance.The practice acknowledged this feedback and assured us that sepsis posters were displayed around the practice, and the course has been added to the mandatory list for all staff. There was a system for appointment triage that ensured people with immediate needs had access to services. Various appointments were available such as face to face or by telephone. The social prescribers could also offer support and signpost to other relevant services to meet the needs of patients

The practice cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff. Partners told us they valued their colleagues. Staff reported they felt supported by the partners. They described management as approachable as they could ask for help when they needed it. Leaders had taken steps to recognise and meet the wellbeing needs of staff by doing a staff survey. The practice organised social activities outside of working hours.