LADMS GP Enhanced Access Service - Louth

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 had not inspected this service before. At this assessment we rated this key question as Good.This meant people were supported and treated with dignity and respect and involved as partners in their care. We looked for evidence that the service involved people and treated them with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.

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 treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. Staff treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect.

We observed staff treating people with kindness and respect within the waiting room. Arrangements were in place to promote peoples’ privacy. Staff that chaperoned people were aware of their responsibilities in maintaining a person’s dignity and safety during an intimate examination. People’s religious and cultural needs were respected. Chaperone training had been completed by 100% of the staff employed either by LADMS for the provision of enhanced access services.

The service had processes in place for people who found it hard to access services by utilising interpreters and directing people to relevant services where they may need extra support.

Feedback from people who used the service was mostly positive and staff at all levels were described as kind, understanding and helpful.

The service treated people as individuals and made sure people’s care, support and treatments met people’s needs and preferences. People’s communication needs were met to enable them to be fully involved in their care.

We saw evidence of support tools and advice to aid people’s independence and support. For example, all staff had received training about autism and learning disabilities and were able to support people who found it difficult to be independent and to access services. For people with learning disabilities or complex social needs, clinicians ensured that the person’s own GP practice were, made aware through the tasking process in the clinical computer system.

Staff understood people’s personal, cultural, social and religious needs. They displayed an understanding and non-judgmental attitude to all people. The service gave people timely support and information.

People were supported to have choice and control over their own care and to make decisions about their care, treatment and wellbeing.

Prebooked interpreters were available for people in their own language and sign language interpreters were available for people who had hearing difficulties.

People were referred to social prescribers for loneliness. For example, a knit and natter group was available for people to join. The service referred people to the community hub to access health and wellbeing coach, financial support and talking therapies. The community hub was available for the service to refer into at all of the locations we inspected.

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.

The service used people’s feedback, complaints, compliments and comments, to respond to people’s needs. The practice maintained a complaints, compliments and suggestions log which was reviewed regularly with the practice team, to identify any emerging trends or themes of concern, and responded to these quickly.

Feedback from people who used the service collected by LADMS included, “I really appreciate your kindness and empathy, seems to be a rare commodity these days, I am glad and thankful to have found you.” “Lovely team today, receptionist and doctor, thank you for your help. ”People we spoke with at Louth told us that “the first time they used the service they were unable to find where to go, however, it is now sign posted and easier to find”. Another person told us how good the nurse was at listening to them and took their time to understand the problem.

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

Leaders told us that they encouraged personal development and continued to invest in staff, diversifying and developing skills and knowledge to ensure that they had a highly skilled, resilient and adaptable workforce to meet the needs of people and communities.

The service provided written guidance and resources to help staff perform their role competently. The service listened to concerns about safety and investigated and reported safety events. However, outcomes from investigations were not always shared with the wider team.

Leaders told us that they support staff with flexible working. Also, ensuring that staff never worked alone, with staff arriving and leaving together. All staff have access to panic alarms.