Bredon Hill Surgery

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• 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.

There was a culture of kindness and respect within the practice. The practice always treated people with empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. Staff gave examples about how they treated patients with kindness and compassion to support them. The National GP Patient Survey Data demonstrated that 93% of respondents felt the healthcare professional was good at listening to them, which was higher than the national average of 87%. 92% of respondents felt they were treated with care and concern during their last appointment, which was higher than the national average of 86%. The provider had a caring approach to those who had recently been bereaved. Staff demonstrated that they considered patients specific needs and wishes. The care-coordinator was able to give one-to-one support for patients who may be struggling at home with their health and was able to make them aware of the services available to them. 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. During the site visit, we observed staff being helpful and polite to patients. We spoke with members from the patient participation group (PPG), and they expressed how they felt they were treated with kindness, compassion and dignity.

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. Patient requirements were recorded on the patient record such as communication needs, necessary physical adjustments, and home visiting requirements. We saw that the communication needs of patients were met. For example, translation and interpretation support, which included British Sign Language support, could be organised. For patients that had difficulty using technology, information could be printed on paper if this was preferred.

The practice promoted people’s independence and support 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 93% 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 national average of 91%. Staff ensured that all necessary information was accessible between services to ensure patient preferences were met to support and maximise patient’s independence and outcomes from care and treatment. This was also considered during the referral pathways and during home visits. Reception staff were able to signpost people to services appropriate to their needs including advocacy and community-based services.

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 we spoke with knew how to respond when a patient needed urgent attention and knew the processes to follow to ensure emergency support was given. Most staff were up to date with their basic life support training. However, during the site visit, we found that sepsis training was not a mandatory course for all staff to complete and therefore were not assured all staff knew how to respond in this instance. The practice acknowledged this and added this course to the mandatory list for all staff. Requests for appointments were subject to assessment via clinical triage, and this was supported by care navigators to ensure patients received appropriate and responsive care. There was a duty GP that reviewed people’s queries that were supported by an advanced nurse practitioner or advanced clinical practitioner. 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. Leaders told us they supported and valued their colleagues. Staff feedback was positive. For example, staff felt supported as management were approachable so they could ask for help when they needed it. Staff described the practice as a friendly place to work. Leaders had taken steps to recognise and meet the wellbeing needs of staff. For example, workplace adjustments were put in place to suit staff needs, a compliments board was on display for staff, staff regularly checked in with one another and social events were also well attended.