Stourport Medical 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

Staff ensured patients were valued as individuals and were empowered as partners in their treatment and care. They treated patients with dignity and respect, and this was fully embedded within the practice. Patients felt they really mattered to staff and valued the amount of time, care and support staff offered to them. Appointments times had been extended so patients had time to discuss their options and make informed choices and decisions. Patients’ information was kept confidential.

This service scored 80 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

Patients said staff treated them with kindness. Patients felt staff listened to them and communicated with them in a way they could understand. They said they had their privacy and dignity respected.

There was a culture of kindness and respect within the practice. Staff collaborated with other experienced colleagues to provide support for patients. Staff gave examples of how they treated patients with kindness and compassion and supported patients to achieve everything they wanted from their appointments.

Staff listened and acted upon patients' needs. Reception staff responded to patients' requests and explained the options available to them such as being referred to the pharmacy based within the building. Staff locked patient records when they moved away from computer screens to maintain confidentiality.

Patients were positive about the approach of the clinicians, and none expressed concerns about not feeling involved in their care or being treated as individuals. The results of the most recent national GP patient survey showed the percentage of patients who stated that during their last GP appointment they were involved as much as they wanted to be in decisions about their care and treatment was 94%, which was above the national average of 91%.

Staff understood and respected the personal, cultural, social and religious needs of patients. Leaders provided examples of how they supported patients including those who lived in areas of social and financial deprivation. They made adjustments where necessary to help make the practice accessible for everyone. For example, they would mark a patient’s record as phone call only if the patient were unable to read or write.

Leaders had processes in place to ensure patients individual needs could be met. This included offering same day appointments for children and those patients with complex needs. They offered longer appointment slots where needed.

Patients felt they could discuss their treatment options with staff and were confident they would be listened to.

Leaders and staff gave guidance to patients about their health and lifestyle choices but accepted not all patients were open to accepting the advice given. In these cases, they continued to have conversations with patients to ensure they understood the risks of the choices they were making.

Leaders ensured staff had training, so they were aware patients needed to feel in control of their treatment. They gave patients information and offered guidance, so their decisions were well informed.

Patients could access emergency appointments on the day they needed them using the triage system. Patients said they had no concerns about being seen in an emergency.

Staff were alert to patients' needs and took time to observe, communicate and engage patients in discussions about their immediate needs. Staff found out how to respond in the most appropriate way to respect people's wishes. Reception staff responded promptly to phone calls and offering patients the support needed to access the practice. They understood the process for raising the alarm in the case of an emergency using the phone system. This alerted the duty team which included a GP who were the first responders in an emergency.

Staff felt very well supported by leaders. They gave examples of support they received both on a personal and professional level. They were able to access additional support for mental health from mental health first aiders and the mental health nurse based in the practice. Staff were encouraged to attend a wide range of social and team building events which had supported the two teams to come together in the new building following the merger of the two locations. This had included a staff area where staff can come together during breaks rather than having separate break areas for nurses and GPs. Staff said this had been very positive for communication across the practice.

Leaders had put in place a wellbeing policy and placed great importance on the need for staff to feel included and well supported. They had also implemented a new starter wellbeing pack so new staff had all the information they needed if when they started their new role.