River Brook 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

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 service treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. Staff treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect. Arrangements were in place to promote patients’ privacy.

National GP Patient Survey (GPPS) data reflected people felt listened to and were treated with kindness. Results from the 2026 GPPS showed that 73% of the respondents were positive about the overall experience of their GP practice which was in line with national average. Patients we spoke with on the day of inspection were very positive about how staff treated them both in person and on the phone.

If patients needed to speak privately to receptionists’, staff could use a spare clinical room if available. Staff we spoke with understood Gillick competency and there was a process to ensure young adults had control over their own privacy and the amount of parental involvement in managing their care and support.

There was clear information that explained to people about their right to have a chaperone present. Staff were trained in chaperoning and knew what to do to keep people safe for example, they were able to tell us where they would stand in relation to the patient, during an examination to mitigate risks.

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.

Systems were in place to make sure patients were treated in ways that suited them. During registration, patients were able to highlight any requirements or preferences that were important to them. These needs were then recorded in the patient system, allowing all staff to be aware of individual preferences. The National GP Survey results showed that 90% of people stated that during their last appointment they were involved as much as they wanted to be in decisions about their care and treatment which was in line with the local average of 91%.

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. There were leaflets in the waiting room to signpost patients for additional support and a primary care network (PCN) social prescriber was available.

The service 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 to emergency support, including mental health crisis teams and had contact details at their workstation so they could access them quickly when needed. The triage team comprised of doctors under the supervision of one of the GP partners this ensured patients were booked in with the most appropriate healthcare professional based on clinical need.

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

Staff told us they were valued by leaders. Leaders had taken steps to recognise and meet the wellbeing needs of staff, which included the necessary resources and facilities for safe working, such as regular breaks and rest areas. Staff reported being supported if they were struggling at work. We saw team building days were established within the practice