Well Street 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 in January 2016, we rated this key question as Good. At this assessment, the rating remains Good.

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.

Patient interviews carried out during this assessment showed high levels of satisfaction with both clinical and administrative staff, with no concerns or complaints raised by those we spoke with. National survey data also indicated that patients felt listened to and were treated with kindness. During the inspection, staff were consistently observed treating patients with respect, and confidentiality at reception was well maintained. The environment was clean, accessible and welcoming, and arrangements were in place to protect privacy, including the use of chaperones and maintaining dignity during examinations. The service used alerts within patient records to identify those who may need longer appointments, helping to ensure people received the time and support they needed. Staff understood how to support children and young people appropriately, including respecting their privacy and involving parents where suitable.

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.

The practice population reflects a highly diverse community, with 24.6% of patients from Black, 9.4% from Asian, 7.5% from mixed, and 6.2% from other non-White ethnic backgrounds, and is located in an area within the 3rd decile of deprivation. The provider had developed an active and practical response to the needs of this population. A dedicated Turkish-language clinic was delivered through a community partnership, and wider community health initiatives were in place to help address local health inequalities. Interpreter services, hearing loops and an Accessible Information Standard policy were in place, and patients’ communication needs were routinely met so they could be fully involved in their care. Extended appointments were available for patients with a learning disability or mental health needs. Reception staff used digital alerts within patient records to flag individual requirements, such as the need for longer appointments or interpreter support, so clinicians were aware in advance. Overall, staff demonstrated a clear understanding of patients’ personal, cultural, social, religious and equality needs, and worked to ensure these were consistently met across the service.

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

A wide range of patient information was available throughout the practice, including easy-read formats, multilingual materials, carer information, self-referral options and wellbeing leaflets. Staff supported patients and their carers to access advocacy and community-based services, with clear pathways for social prescribing to help people with social, housing or other non-medical needs. Patients were also informed about how to access their own care records. Community drop-in sessions and health education initiatives were in place to help patients take an active role in managing their health and well-being.

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.

An appointment triage system was in place to help ensure people with urgent needs could access care in a timely way. This was supported by a duty doctor system for reviewing urgent cases and test results. Staff we spoke with understood how to escalate concerns and refer patients to emergency services, including mental health crisis support, and could clearly describe the steps they would take if someone presented in distress. Reception staff were familiar with the needs of the local community and used alerts on the clinical system to highlight individual vulnerabilities, helping ensure patients received appropriate support from the first point of contact.

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

Staff at all levels, both clinical and non-clinical, said they felt genuinely valued by leaders and spoke positively about management during interviews. An open-door culture was consistently described, with staff feeling comfortable raising concerns and confident they would be listened to. Leaders had taken practical steps to support staff wellbeing, including providing appropriate equipment and facilities, ensuring staff could take regular breaks, and offering dedicated rest areas. Team-building activities were also in place to support morale and teamwork. Arrangements were in place for staff to raise concerns, including access to Freedom to Speak Up processes, and staff knew how to use these. The practice had a strong communication culture, with regular meetings across all staff groups, providing opportunities for support, shared learning and problem-solving. As a training practice, the provider also demonstrated an ongoing commitment to staff development, alongside supporting staff wellbeing.