Abbottswood Medical Centre

On this page

• Overview
• Shared direction and culture
• Capable, compassionate and inclusive leaders
• Freedom to speak up
• Workforce equality, diversity and inclusion
• Governance, management and sustainability
• Partnerships and communities
• Learning, improvement and innovation

We looked for evidence that service leadership, management and governance assured high-quality, person-centred care; supported learning and innovation; and promoted an open, fair culture. At our last assessment, we rated this key question as good. At this assessment, the rating remains the same.

This service scored 82 (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 had a shared vision, strategy and culture. This was based on transparency, equity, equality and human rights, diversity and inclusion, engagement, and understanding challenges and the needs of people and their communities. Staff had an ‘away day’ to discuss the vision and values of the practice. It was concluded that the vision was to be ‘relentlessly patient-centered in everything we do, we care for our community and ourselves through compassion and collaboration. With a passion for education and a confident humility, we have an unwavering commitment to excellence’ whilst demonstrating the values of ‘equity, growth, compassion, teamwork and commitment.’ The practice had developed their own intranet to showcase their direction and ideas, including the relevant resources to support. The practice promoted a positive, compassionate, listening culture that supported trust and understanding between staff and patients using the service. Learning and development were supported. Staff expressed how the practice was a friendly and supportive place to work. Staff shared a common aim to do the best they could for patients and strived to provide safe, high-quality care. This was reflected in the nomination for GP practice of the year at the Worcestershire Health and Social Care Awards.

The practice had inclusive leaders at all levels who understood the context in which they delivered care, treatment and support and embodied the culture and values of their workforce and organisation. Leaders had the skills, knowledge, experience and credibility to lead effectively. They did so with integrity, openness and honesty. We saw the leadership team worked with other practices in the primary care network and were engaged in the development of primary care services within the local area.

Leaders actively engaged with patients and staff to gather feedback about their management and communication and took meaningful action in response. For example, staff survey results from last year showed that not all staff felt informed about changes within the practice. Leaders addressed this concern and made positive changes to reflect a positive outcome. The practice now host regular meetings and ensure the meeting minutes are uploaded to the shared electronic system so all staff can access the updates accordingly.

The practice fostered a positive culture where staff felt they could speak up, and their voice would be heard. Open conversations were encouraged in a safe, supportive environment. The practice had a freedom to speak up policy and had established a freedom to speak up champion. Awareness sessions were delivered so staff were aware how to raise concerns and feel confident they would be listened to, and their concerns would be acted upon appropriately. This information was located on the practice intranet where the freedom to speak up champion had created a video of themselves introducing themselves and explaining what their role was and how to contact them. There was also a poster, including a photo of the freedom to speak up champion displayed within the practice.

The practice demonstrated understanding and valued equality, diversity and inclusion within the workforce. They had an inclusive and fair culture which had improved equality for people who work for them. There were policies and procedures to promote equality and diversity. Staff had completed equality and diversity training and were therefore able to use these skills to identify and address inequalities.Staff feedback from staff we spoke with during the visit or those who had completed the staff feedback questionnaire, reported high levels of job satisfaction. They told us they felt valued and were encouraged to be involved in contributing to the running of the practice. A number of staff had longstanding employment with the practice.

Representation at all levels of the workforce reflected the diversity of the local population. Staff were encouraged to speak openly to discuss barriers and opportunities to enable leaders to provide better outcomes. Leaders made reasonable adjustments to support staff to carry out their roles well. For example, workplace adjustments such as flexible working hours were implemented and all staff were encouraged to be involved in the decision making. A comprehensive induction was given for an overseas GP trainee. Policies were created that addressed the staff members needs to ensure they had all of the resources and knowledge to work effectively. Enhanced supervision was also carried out to provide additional support.

The practice did a lot of forward planning and empowered members of staff to progress. The practice was also accredited Veteran Friendly. A member of staff was a Veteran and showed interest in a clinical pathway so was in the process of changing roles from a receptionist to a clinical role with the support from the practice.

Staff told us they were clear about their responsibilities, roles and systems of accountability. The provider had established governance processes that were appropriate for their service to deliver good quality, sustainable care, treatment and support. They acted on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, and shared this securely with others when appropriate. Concerns and emerging risks were discussed during team meetings, and the minutes were shared with staff to ensure the relevant information and actions were acknowledged and addressed. Staff could access all policies and procedures through the practice intranet. Managers met with staff regularly to complete appraisals.

The practice clearly understood their duty to collaborate and work in partnership to support care provision enabling services to work seamlessly for patients. Staff and leaders engaged with people, communitiesand partners to share learning with each other and to promote continuous improvement. The practice established ‘The Abbottswood Fund,’ this charity was used to support members of the community. For example, the charity supported Wick Care Farm that worked with adults and young people to help improve confidence, skills and mental health through therapeutic activity. The Abbottswood Fund also created ‘Singing for Health’ and mindfulness sessions to support people with long covid, COPD, breathlessness, anxiety, isolation or low mood. The Abbottswood Fund also collaborated with local organisations to join the ‘St Andrew’s Garden Project’ which was a community garden initiative to create a sensory green space to benefit people’s mental and physical wellbeing. Abbottswood Medical Centre collaborated with Warwick Medical School, Herefordshire and Worcestershire Training Hub and University of Worcester. Abbottswood Medical Practice was the first GP practice to be nominated and shortlisted for Warwick Award for Teaching Excellence in the Community and Culture category.

The practice had a strong focus on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation with a robust long term succession plan. They encouraged creative ways of delivering equality of experience, outcome and quality of life for people. They actively contributed to safe, effective practice and research. Staff learned from significant events and complaints to continually improve the service they provided. All staff were encouraged to put forward and test out new ways of working.

The training practice hosted medical student placements and enabled progression and career development. The Abbottswood Fund supported ongoing professional development. For example, a veteran staff member was employed as a receptionist but showed interest in pursuing a clinical pathway. With help from the ‘Abbottswood Fund,’ this progression was made possible to progress through training to become a phlebotomist, with aspirations to become a healthcare assistant, then nurse. This career development aligned with the practice’s workforce strategy to support the next generation of clinicians to help build the future workforce. The practice provided education sessions for clinical staff hosted by the practice team to provide a structured opportunity for shared learning amongst staff. Leaders presented patient cases, reviewed audits and encouraged open discussion and reflection. This multidisciplinary, peer-led approach fostered collaboration, innovation, and improved clinical practice. Staff found this a very supportive environment and found the protected learning time very valuable.

A bespoke practice intranet was developed as a central hub for all staff to find information and resources. This improved efficiency as it reduced time searching for information and supported staff making informed decisions quickly. The intranet was an integral part of daily operations, that strengthened communication, supported staff wellbeing, and contributed to the safe and effective running of the practice.