Walsall Wood Health Centre

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, 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.

The practice treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. Staff treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect. Arrangements were in place to promote patients’ privacy and staff had received training. During our site visit we observed staff treating patients with kindness and respect on arrival to the practice and during telephone discussions.

A patient we spoke with shared their positive experience and support they had been provided with as a carer and told us the GP was caring and the practice looked after their patients well. We received 2 concerns in the previous 12 months which included clinicians ignoring requests from a patient through the practice software system and staff being dismissive of a patients’ feelings which included a lack of communication and concerns around the conduct of reception staff.

The most recent National GP Patient Survey data reflected people felt listened to and were treated with kindness. The results for the practice showed:

• 86% of respondents said at their last appointment the healthcare professional was good at treating them with care and concern.
• 85% said they felt the healthcare professional listened to them during their last appointment.
• 80% said the healthcare professional they last saw or spoke to was good at considering their mental wellbeing.
• 100% felt their needs were met.
• 93% found reception staff helpful.

Overall results were mainly above local and national averages.

Staff we spoke with understood Gillick competency and there was a process to ensure young adults had control over their own privacy and the amount of parental involvement in managing their care and support.

The practice had a register of carers and had identified 66 patients as carers. Staff had access to a policy on supporting carers, which provided a summary of the support arrangements available. The practice advised they offered carers health checks to address any physical and mental health impacts of their caregiving role,

flu vaccinations and double appointments if required. In addition, carers were provided with information on counselling services and support groups to help manage stress and any emotional challenges.

Staff told us they provided leaflets and sent condolence cards to bereaved patients in addition to signposting them to support services.

The practice had developed a ‘treating people as individuals policy’ to ensure all patients received person centred care that respected individual preferences, culture, beliefs, language, disability and social context.

Patients’ personal, cultural, social, religious and equality characteristics needs were understood and met. Patient communication needs were met to enable them to be involved in their care. A clinician we spoke with shared examples of how they ensured people's individual needs and preferences were considered during their consultations to ensure they received tailored care.

Patients had access to translator services. A poster was displayed at reception advising patients if they needed to receive information in a way they could understand, for example large print, braille, email, alternative languages or in British Sign Language (BSL) to inform the reception.

Patients registered as carers were coded on the practice electronic system, so staff were able to identify them easily and offer any additional support if required.

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

The National GP Patient Survey for the practice indicated 90% of patients stated during their last appointment they were involved as much as they wanted to in decisions about their care and treatment. In addition, 58% of respondents said they were offered a choice of time or day when they last tried to make a general practice appointment, which was above the local and national average.

Staff helped patients and their carers to access advocacy and community-based services.

The practice listened to and understood people’s needs, views and wishes. Staff responded to people’s needs and acted to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress.

Patients could request appointments online, in person, by phone or on the NHS App. Staff were trained in care navigation which enabled efficient and safe signposting or escalation to a clinician when urgent care was required. This ensured patients in decline were identified early and managed safely. During our site visit we observed staff promptly accommodating a patient requesting an urgent on the day appointment based on their presenting symptoms.

There was a system for appointment triage that ensured people with immediate needs had access to services. Staff we spoke with knew the process for referral to emergency support, including mental health crisis teams.

The practice cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care. A staff wellbeing board had been created and was displayed in the staff office to help promote health, happiness and a work-life balance for staff. This included a range of wellbeing websites and Apps, information about managing anxiety, exercise and healthy diet in addition to desk yoga exercises. Staff also had access to a health and wellbeing support pack providing a range of guides, apps and resources to support their wellbeing in addition to a staff wellbeing hub which was available to staff employed under the local integrated care board (ICB), which provided information on physical health, mental health and financial support and discounts.

Most staff told us they were valued by leaders. Leaders had taken steps to recognise and meet the wellbeing needs of staff, which included the necessary resources and facilities for safe working, such as regular breaks. Staff reported being supported if they were struggling at work and the support they had received at difficult times in their personal lives.