The Ruddington Medical Centre

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

We looked for evidence that service leadership, management and governance assured high-quality, person-centred care; supported learning and innovation; and promoted an open, fair culture. At our last assessment we rated this key question good. At this assessment the rating remains the same. This meant the service was consistently managed and well-led. Leaders were very compassionate and inclusive and staff felt supported and valued. The culture they created promoted high-quality, person-centred care.

This service scored 71 (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, although staff were aware of the vision they told us they had not been involved in developing this. The practice aspirations were to provide person centred and holistic care, with an emphasis on continuity of care for those that need it most delivered by a strong and cohesive team. Staff were positive about the culture within the service and described it as open and transparent.

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. There had a been recent change in the partnership and the staff told us the new partners had a positive impact on the service. Leaders had the skills, knowledge, experience and credibility to lead effectively. They did so with integrity, openness and honesty. Staff told us leaders in the service was approachable and responded to any concerns raised. We saw the leadership team worked with other practices in the primary care network and were engaged in the development of primary care services within the local area.

The service fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. The service fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. There were systems in place to support staff to whistle blow or to speak with a Freedom to Speak Up Guardian if they had any concerns. Staff were aware of how to whistle blow and who the Freedom to Speak Up Guardian was and what their role was in supporting staff. Most staff felt that they could speak up and most felt that their voice would be heard and acted upon.

We did not look at Workforce equality, diversity and inclusion during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Well-led.

The service had identified clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability and governance following the changes to the partnership. They used these to manage and deliver good quality, sustainable care, treatment and support. They acted on information about risk, performance and outcomes. However, action was required to obtain the most current legionella risk assessment and review and update the fire risk assessment as required. The provider had not updated their registration following the changes to the partnership. This was discussed with the provider and the appropriate application forms were submitted during this assessment. Leaders and managers supported staff, and all staff we spoke with were clear on their individual roles and responsibilities. Processes were in place for appraisals and performance reviews for all staff, including salaried GPs. However, the service acknowledged that appraisals and performance reviews were overdue but were planned to take place in February 2025. Staff knew how to access all required policies and procedures. Regular meetings were held with staff, during which clinical concerns and emerging risks were discussed. Managers clearly recorded any actions arising from these meetings and ensured they shared these with staff. Staff took patient confidentiality and information security seriously.

The service understood their duty to collaborate and work in partnership, so services work seamlessly for people. They shared information and learning with partners and collaborated for improvement. The provider worked with other practices within their primary care network (PCN) to offer enhanced access appointments. The service had a Patient Participation Group (PPG). A representative from the PPG told us that their views were acted on whenever possible and they worked closely with the service to improve services for example, collaborative working to support the smooth running of flu clinics. The PPG had also represented the service at a recent community event and shared information on local services, such as extended access and health promotion and screening programmes. There were processes in place to work in partnership with key organisations and agencies to support the provision of care and joined up working. For example, district nurses, community matrons and the ‘care home team’. Feedback from representatives of 3 care homes where the service provided care and treatment was positive about the GPs especially around their responsiveness to requests and queries.

The service focused on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation and local system. They contributed to safe, effective practice and research although this has been impacted recently by staffing challenges. The service used learning from significant events and complaints to continually improve the service they provided. The service had monitored the impact of transitioning to total triage and noted this had reduced the number of telephone calls received, enabling reception staff to complete other tasks they were responsible for. The telephone system had also been upgraded to support the introduction of total triage and enabled people to request links to book an appointment without the need to speak to a receptionist.