Whitemoor Medical Centre

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• 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 79 (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 had a shared vision, strategy and culture. This was based on transparency, equality, diversity and inclusion, engagement, and understanding challenges and the needs of people and their communities. All of the staff we spoke with were aware of the vision.

Succession planning was discussed at strategic meetings to plan for the development and sustainability of the practice. For example, planning for the retirement of staff and upskilling existing staff to develop their roles and opportunities for promotion.

Staff feedback was very positive about the culture within the practice. Staff told us there was an open and transparent culture and they were encouraged and supported to raise any issues. They told us the culture was supportive, nurturing, caring and friendly with a clear focus on patient care and continuous improvement. Staff felt valued and motivated.

The service 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.

Staff told us leaders in the practice were visible and very approachable and responded to any concerns raised. The leadership team worked with other practices in the primary care network and engaged in the development of primary care services within the local area.

The provider and staff told us of examples of when reasonable adjustments had been made to support staff to carry out their role. For example, standing desks and support through challenging times.

The service fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard.

The practice had established Freedom to Speak up arrangements with other practices in the primary care network. Staff were aware of how to raise concerns, who the Freedom to Speak up guardian and champions were and how to contact them. There was a policy in place to support this.

We did not look at Workforce equality, diversity and inclusion during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Well-led.

The service had clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability and good governance. They used these to manage and 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.

Leaders and managers supported staff, and all staff we spoke with were clear on their individual roles and responsibilities. Managers met with staff regularly to complete appraisals and performance reviews. The provider had established governance processes that were appropriate for their service. Staff could access all required policies and procedures. Managers held regular practice meetings with staff, during which they discussed clinical concerns and emerging risks. Managers clearly recorded any actions arising from these meetings and ensured they shared these with staff. We observed that staff took patient confidentiality and information security seriously.

The service understood their duty to collaborate and work in partnership, so services worked seamlessly for people. They shared information and learning with partners and collaborate for improvement.

The provider worked with other practices within their primary care network (PCN). For example, extended access appointments, a pain cafe for people suffering with chronic pain and a menopause clinic.

We received positive feedback from 5 care homes where the practice provided care and treatment. They told us that staff were professional, approachable and they addressed any problems or concerns raised.

The practice worked in close partnership with the Patient Participation Group (PPG). A representative from the group told us they met every 2 months and were supported at the meetings by the practice and assistant practice managers. GPs also attended when required. The representative told us the working relationship between the practice and the PPG was excellent, leaders were extremely supportive and the views of the PPG were always listened to and acted on.

The service had a strong focus on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation and local system. They always encouraged creative ways of delivering equality of experience, outcome and quality of life for people. They actively contributed to safe, effective practice and research.

The practice used significant events and complaints to drive improvements within the practice. They had developed a suite of clinical audits to improve patient care. For example, a template to identify acutely unwell children, safety netting for people with back pain and various medicine audits. Many of the audits had 2nd or 3rd cycles and demonstrated that changes made had been effective or where further improvements were required.

The practice was a tier 3 research practice and had been involved in many research studies. For example, prostate cancer research which meant some of their patients received earlier MRI scans to enable an earlier diagnosis of the disease.

The practice had also worked in partnership with the Primary Care Network (PCN) to deliver innovative services. For example, a pilot pain cafe was set up and 120 people with chronic pain were invited to attend with a maximum of 50 people per session. Data showed that there was a 3rd reduction in repeat contacts with the GP surgery. The pain cafe was adopted following the pilot. Together with the PCN, a menopause clinic had been set up for women to attend on a Saturday with a particular focus on women with a learning disability. Another GP within the PCN had completed a fellowship in frailty and was exploring ways in which the PCN could reduce attendances to the emergency department for this group of people. The practice and the PCN had developed group consultations where people with diabetes attended to improve their knowledge on managing and living with this condition. They told us evidence showed that people with shared goals and ailments learnt from each other which improved their management of the disease.

The practice had recently become an accredited Active Practice which recognised the practice’s committed to increasing physical activity and reducing sedentary behaviour for both staff and patients.