Harris Memorial 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

The practice had a clear vision and strategy to deliver high quality care and promoted good outcomes for people. Staff were clear on their individual responsibilities and knew who was accountable for each aspect of the service. Leaders had oversight to ensure the effective running of the service and were capable, compassionate, and inclusive. The practice encouraged the duty of candour, openness, and honesty. 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. At our last assessment, we rated this key question as Inadequate. At this assessment, we rated this key question as Good.

This service scored 64 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

Leaders had a detailed vision and values for the practice. Some staff told us they felt engaged by leaders at the practice. They told us they were listened to and had contributed to the development of the practice. However, some staff told us they felt communication between staff and leaders could be improved upon and did not always feel listened to. Some staff also told us that confidentiality was an issue in the practice, and they did not feel comfortable sharing personal and confidential information with some leaders. Staff were encouraged to keep their knowledge and skills up to date in line with continued professional development to support the practice. Leaders informed us there was a strong emphasis on the safety and well-being of staff.

Staff told us leaders were visible, approachable and genuinely cared about them. Leaders were aware of the challenges of delivering good quality care and were striving for improvements. Leaders understood the challenges to quality and sustainability and demonstrated the skills and knowledge required to influence others and understand their role in leadership. Leaders included staff in their planning for the future. The practice had identified the actions needed to address challenges and make improvements.

Staff knew what a freedom to speak up guardian was (FTSUG) The practice had staff who had the role of FTSUG and to be a point of contact for any member of staff to raise concerns about colleagues, the practice or leadership. However, not all staff knew the name of the service’s FTSUG. There were policies and processes to support speaking up and these were accessible to all staff.

The practice actively promoted equality and diversity. Staff had access to an equality, diversity, and inclusion policy and had completed relevant training. Newly recruited staff completed a monitoring form, so the service was aware of the diversity of their workforce.

Staff and leaders were clear on their individual roles and responsibilities including safeguarding and infection prevention and control (IPC). Patient confidentiality and information security was understood and upheld. Staff told us learning and development opportunities were identified during annual appraisals and appropriate training was sourced. Staff were encouraged to attend meetings where updates and new information was shared. Actions from meetings were recorded and accessible to all staff. There were processes in place for managing risks, issues and performance. There was evidence of systems and processes for learning, continuous improvement, and innovation. Staff had access to all policies and procedures. However, we identified some gaps and areas for improvement from our clinical searches and from our on-site visit. The practice did not always have full oversight to ensure tasks were being completed to keep people safe and in line with national guidance. For example, from IPC audits. Following issues being identified, the practice acted swiftly and implemented new processes to ensure people were not at risk.

Staff worked with stakeholders to build a shared view of challenges and of the needs of the population. Leaders told us they engaged with services they referred to regularly for feedback on the quality of referrals. Staff and external partners' views and concerns were encouraged, heard and acted on to shape the service and culture. The practice had regular engagement meetings with both commissioners and partner organisations in the area.

The practice worked within a multi-disciplinary team to provide the right support for everyone. The practice actively participated in regular meetings where people’s care and treatment needs were discussed to improve their outcomes. There was a focus on continuous learning and improvement within the practice. The practice made use of internal and external reviews of incidents and complaints. Learning was shared and used to make improvements.