Dr Salam J Farhan Also known as Partington Central Surgery

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 assessed all quality statements in this key question. People were treated with kindness compassion and dignity. Patients demonstrated through the GP patient survey that they felt they were treated as individuals and the staff responded to their immediate needs in a timely fashion. We spoke to a member of the patient participation group who told us they had independence, choice and control over decisions around their care. Feedback from staff showed us that they had the correct tools and support needed undertake their roles in this regard and the well-being of staff was important to the management team.

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.

A member of the patient participation group told us they felt they were treated with kindness, compassion and dignity in their day to day care and support. They said they felt listened to by staff and that staff communicated with them in a way they could understand. They advised us that the staff responded to their individual needs quickly and efficiently and they felt assured that information about them was being treated in confidence.

Staff told us they attended regular monthly meetings where patients were discussed with compassion and dignity. The culture was such that the practice team worked in a way that expressed kindness and compassion to all patients registered. Staff told us mandatory training had been completed to ensure that patients’ individual, cultural needs were understood and met.

During the inspection we saw staff treating patients over the phone and face to face with dignity and respect. There was a designated place where patients discuss confidential or sensitive issues. We saw that patients were treated with compassion, understanding and kindness. Staff showed empathy when needed and went above and beyond to try and help their patients. We witnessed people’s privacy and dignity being respected.

A member of the patient participation group told us that they were treated as an individual by the staff at the practice and that their individual, specific needs were being considered. The staff were able to offer extended appointment times if this was needed.

The staff told us that they would treat every patient as an individual and that each patient had their own specific needs. During a discussion with one of the GPs they demonstrated how they took a holistic view of their patient’s care considering the social and cultural aspects that may impact on their clinical health. Reception staff on the day of the onsite visit told us that they treat patients the same way they would expect to be treated by their own GP.

There were processes in place that enabled staff to support patient’s specific needs such as personalised care records and alerts that identified concerns. The wishes of patients were recorded on the care record and the care record could be shared or accessed via other services, for example by GP Out of Hours Service, if required.

Feedback from patients was positive in regard to options available to them to allow them to make an informed choice about the treatment options available to them. 86% of patients who responded to the most recent GP patient survey said the healthcare professional they saw or spoke to was good at treating them with care and concern during their last general practice appointment. This was slightly higher than the local and national average of 85%.

Leaders and members of staff told us that if there was more than one treatment option available for patients then each option would be explained in full to allow patients to make informed decisions about their care. 89% of patients who responded to the most recent GP patient survey said they were involved as much as they wanted to be in decisions about their care and treatment during their last general practice appointment. This was slightly lower than the local and national average of 91%.

At the time of the assessment the practice had good processes in place to promote patient’s independence and supported them to make informed decisions about their care, treatment and wellbeing. They offered information and guidance to enable patients to make informed decisions about their care.

57% of patients who responded to the most recent GP patient survey found it easy to get through to this GP practice by phone which was higher than the local average of 53% and the national average of 50%, and 80% of patients knew what the next step would be after contacting their GP practice which was slightly lower than the local and national averages of 82%.

Staff told us that any patients contacting the practice would receive a call back from a clinician to offer an appointment or to sign post to an alternative care pathway if appropriate. Staff were able to explain to us how patients’ needs were prioritised and talked us through the level of training and mentoring they had received to enable them to do the job they were being employed to do.

Staff told us that they felt supported and valued by the leaders at the practice and gave many examples of how this support had been given over the time that they had worked there. The support given to staff enabled them to do their job well which helped support the patients registered at the practice. There was a much improved work ethic within the practice where everyone supported each other. Staff received regular feedback and appraisal reviews and told us they felt they could approach leaders for advice and guidance when required.

The leaders had the correct processes in place to help support staff employed at the practice. Leaders had worked hard to make improvements and ensure a happy and positive workforce. There were opportunities for staff to develop and different shift patterns to suit the practice and its staff.