Waterbeach Surgery

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

This means we looked for evidence the practice involved people in their care and treatment, and treated them with compassion, kindness, dignity, and respect.

At our last assessment with the previous provider, we rated this key question good. At this assessment, the rating has remained good.

People were treated with kindness, compassion and respect. Staff promoted and protected people’s privacy and dignity and recognised them as individuals with unique needs and preferences. People were supported to make choices about their care and treatment and were encouraged to remain as independent as possible. The practice also recognised the importance of staff wellbeing and provided support to promote a positive working environment.

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 in how they respected people’s privacy and dignity. We found a positive culture of kindness and compassion throughout the practice. Staff consistently treated people with dignity and respect and provided sensitive support to patients who were distressed or experiencing difficult circumstances. Staff demonstrated a clear commitment to person-centred care, ensuring patients were treated as individuals and that care and support reflected their needs, preferences and personal circumstances.

Staff told us they felt empowered to deliver caring, high-quality services, and our observations supported this. During the site visit, we saw staff engage positively with patients at reception and over the telephone, taking a personalised approach to each interaction. Feedback received from people, the PPG and care home representatives was very positive regarding staff being kind to them. We also observed respectful and professional relationships between practice staff and colleagues from other organisations. All staff were aware of the importance of people’s confidentiality and gave examples of how this was maintained.

The practice consistently delivered person-centred care, ensuring that care, support and treatment were tailored to meet people’s individual needs and preferences. It was evident that staff recognised and respected people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, cultural backgrounds and protected characteristics, and incorporated these factors into the delivery of care.

Staff had completed training designed to strengthen their knowledge and understanding of supporting different patient groups, including people with a learning disability and autistic people. The practice also had arrangements in place to identify and support carers.

Staff treated patients fairly and with respect. Communication needs were assessed and accommodated to support patient involvement in care and treatment decisions. Reasonable adjustments were available and included longer appointments, accessible written information and translation services. The practice had identified that there were a number of military veterans in their patient population and had taken action to help ensure this group of patients received suitable individual support.

People were supported to maintain their independence and were encouraged to make decisions about their care and treatment. Staff demonstrated a commitment to ensuring people’s views, preferences and goals were at the centre of care planning and delivery.

Staff provided patients with the information they needed to make informed choices about their treatment and involved carers where appropriate. Arrangements were in place to signpost patients and carers to advocacy and community-based services when required.

The practice had systems to ensure young adults were supported to make decisions about their own care, including maintaining control over their confidentiality and the level of parental involvement as appropriate.

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 to emergency support, including mental health crisis teams.

Practice staff provided several examples of occasions where they had gone above and beyond to support patients. These included recognising and responding promptly to life-threatening conditions, such as administering life-saving treatment during an acute asthma attack, identifying signs of serious cardiac conditions requiring urgent intervention, and recognising potential cancer symptoms at an early stage.

Staff understood the importance of early recognition and intervention, particularly in relation to cancer, where timely diagnosis can significantly improve treatment outcomes and increase survival rates. Their proactive approach enabled patients to access urgent assessment and treatment promptly.

Leaders demonstrated a genuine commitment to supporting staff wellbeing and creating a culture that enabled staff to provide person-centred care. Staff spoke positively about the support they received and told us leaders were approachable, visible and responsive to their needs. Leaders actively assisted operational teams during busy periods, including helping to manage patient enquiries.

The practice had considered the wellbeing needs of staff and implemented measures to support them. These included suitable access to wellbeing resources and mental health support. Staff were encouraged to develop their skills and knowledge. Clinical staff were provided with protected learning time, to help them maintain competencies and progress in their careers.