Central Clinic

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 looked for evidence that the service involved people and treated them with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.

This is the first inspection for this service since its registration with CQC. This key question has been rated as Good.

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.

The practice treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. There was a culture of kindness and respect within the practice. Staff gave examples of how they treated patients with kindness and compassion and supported patients to achieve everything they wanted from their appointments. Arrangements were in place to promote patients’ privacy. Chaperones were available and privacy curtains were in all clinical rooms. Staff demonstrated that they considered patients specific needs and wishes.

Patient feedback reflected they were treated with kindness and compassion and staff communicated with them in a way that they could understand. Feedback from a number of patients reported they were giving a warm welcome on entering the practice. We spoke with a member from the Patient Participation Group (PPG), and they expressed how they felt they were treated with kindness, compassion and dignity.

The service treated people as individuals and made sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences. They took account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics.

Patients’ personal, cultural, social, religious and equality characteristics needs were understood and met. Patient communication needs were met to enable them to be fully involved in their care.

The service promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing.

Staff helped patients and their carers to access advocacy and community-based services. For example, carers were signposted to the Dudley Carers Hub. Staff ensured that all necessary information was accessible between services, including the referral pathways to ensure patient preferences were met, to support and maximise patient’s independence and outcomes from care and treatment.

National GP Patient Survey data showed that 88% of the respondents felt involved as much as they wanted to be in decisions about their care and treatment during their last general practice appointment.

The practice listened to and understood people’s needs, views and wishes. Staff responded to people’s needs in the moment and acted to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress.

There was a system for appointment triage that ensured people with immediate needs had access to services. Staff we spoke with knew the process for referral for emergency support and told us they could recognise when patients needed urgent help and would use appropriate support to assist. The social prescribers could also offer support and signpost to other relevant services to meet the needs of patients.

The service cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care.

Staff reported feeling valued by leadership, who had taken proactive steps to support their wellbeing. This included providing appropriate resources and facilities to ensure a safe working environment, such as regular breaks. The practice had an appointed wellbeing champion and recognised staff contributions through internal initiatives, including an 'Employee of the Month', fostering a positive and appreciative workplace culture.