Alrewas Surgery

On this page

• 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

Leaders and staff had a shared vision and culture based on listening, learning and trust. Leaders were visible, knowledgeable and supportive, helping staff develop in their roles. Staff felt supported to give feedback and were treated equally. Staff understood their roles and responsibilities. Managers worked with the local community to deliver the best possible care and were receptive to new ideas. There was a culture of continuous improvement with staff given time and resources to try new ideas.

This service scored 86 (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, equity, equality and human rights, diversity and inclusion, engagement, and understanding challenges and the needs of people and their communities.

Staff had contributed to the development of the practice mission statement, vision, values and strategy. This was kept under review. All new staff were introduced to the mission and values as part of their onboarding process. The practice was aware of the projected increase in the local population and worked with partner agencies to address future challenges. This was developed collaboratively, incorporating feedback from staff, patients, and external partners, ensuring they reflect the needs and aspirations of the community. Leadership was in place to ensure progress toward the strategy was monitored and any challenges addressed through clear action plans. Regular team meetings took place and included how the vision and values align with day-to-day operations and strategic priorities This enabled staff to see how their roles contribute to achieving the practice goals . Training and staff appraisals and development plans were linked to the values, promoting alignment between individual contributions and organisational objectives.

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 were visible, approachable and responsive to their feedback, suggestions and practice improvement ideas. Feedback from the care home representative found the practice to be very open and that honest conversations take place. There was mutual respect and awareness of each other’s expectations for the patients.

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 including access to a named external Freedom to Speak up Guardian. Staff reported positively on their ability to speak up without fear of retribution.

The service valued diversity in their workforce. They work towards an inclusive and fair culture by improving equality and equity for people who work for them.

Policies and procedures to promote diversity and equality were in place. We saw senior leaders had addressed concerns related to discrimination. Adjustments had been made to ensure all staff were valued, and to ensure they could support disabled staff. The practice were proud to be Disability Confident Committed employer and were actively working towards achieving Level 2 of the Disability Confident Employer scheme, demonstrating their commitment to creating a workplace where individuals with disabilities were supported and empowered to thrive. Staff completed regular equality and diversity training to promote awareness and understanding of protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010. The staff team spoken with and staff surveys received staff described themselves as a diverse group who worked together as a team.

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 act on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, and share 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. Staff had been in receipt of appraisals, personal development plan discussions. Competency reviews for staff with enhanced or extended roles were undertaken. The provider had established governance processes that were appropriate for their service. Staff could access all required policies and procedures. Best practice updates were discussed at the regular clinical meetings and during education and training days. Regular practice meetings were held with all staff. Meetings were documented which identified any actions arising which were shared with staff. Staff took patient confidentiality and information security seriously and had been in receipt of information governance training. The practice had implemented a green and sustainability practice plan was in place with clear objectives and monitoring of their progress on their ambition.

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

The provider worked with other practices within their primary care network to offer extended access, and flu and covid vaccination programmes. The practice provided GP services to people living at a 90-bed care home. Had an active Patient Group , worked with their Primary Care Network colleagues and the Integrated Care Board (ICB) to make improvements for patient care and delivery, such as enhanced access, the NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme ‘Healthier You’ and ‘Everyone Health’ for NHS Health checks. The practice supported people at the local Buddhist temple and worked with secondary and tertiary care providers. The clinical pharmacist engaged with local community pharmacists. The practice collaborated with the Burton Albion Community Trust who delivered a social prescribing service. The practice manager was an active member of the District Advisory Group (DAG), who contributed to the development and implementation of PCN strategies. The practice worked closely with Midlands Partnership Foundation Trust (MPFT) to provide transitions between primary and community care.

The service focused on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation and local system. They 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 was part of the local Primary Care Research West Midlands North (PCR WMN), accredited by the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP). The Department of Health funded the network to undertake research to improve health care. Recent pilots/projects included for example research related to plantar fasciitis.