Abbey Meads Medical Group

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 promoted people’s privacy and dignity, including during examinations. Where needed, the service provided a private room on the ground floor. Chaperones were offered proactively, and information about chaperone support was clearly displayed in the waiting area. During the onsite visit, we observed staff treating people respectfully and taking steps to protect their privacy.

The service had introduced a new online triage tool. People who were unable to use the tool could contact the service by telephone. If someone attended reception to request an appointment and staff were unable to assist them immediately, they were contacted later from a private area so staff could complete the online request on their behalf. This helped ensure people could access support in a way that met their individual needs while protecting their confidentiality.

The provider sought feedback from people about the new triage system through a patient survey. Results were positive, with 64% of respondents reporting it was an improvement on the previous system. National GP Patient Survey 2026 results also indicated people felt listened to and treated with kindness. For example, 83% of respondents described the reception and administrative team as helpful, which was in line with the national average.

The service provided support for people experiencing bereavement. The lead GP contacted next of kin or named family members to offer condolences and discuss any support they may need. Where appropriate, people could be referred to additional services, including counselling and bereavement support.

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.

Staff understood people’s personal, cultural, religious and communication needs. Clinical records were used to identify where people required additional support, such as longer appointments or interpreter services, enabling care to be tailored to individual needs.

Staff made reasonable adjustments to support people’s circumstances, including flexible appointments for carers and communication support for people with hearing impairments. People with wider social or wellbeing needs could be referred for non-clinical support, including social prescribing to help with social isolation, housing concerns or access to local community support.

The service took additional steps to meet the needs of specific population groups. People on the learning disability register were offered longer annual reviews and appointments at quieter times to create an environment better suited to their needs. At the time of the site visit, all people on the register had received an annual review. People told us staff were sensitive and supportive when helping people with learning disabilities or additional needs to access care.

The service was accredited as Veteran Friendly. Veterans were identified through clinical coding systems, enabling staff to recognise service-related health needs, prioritise care where appropriate and signpost people to relevant support services, including specialist mental health support. Relevant staff had completed training to understand and respond to the specific needs of veterans.

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 people and their carers access advocacy and community-based support where needed. They supported people to maintain their independence by signposting them to advocacy services, health coaching and local community resources.

Everyone registered with the service had a named GP and could request a specific GP or a GP of their preferred gender, supporting personalised and inclusive care.

People reported positive experiences of the service and understood the next steps following contact. In the 2026 National GP Patient Survey, 93% of respondents said they knew what would happen next within 2 days, which was in line with the national average.

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.

The service had an effective appointment triage system to support timely access for people with urgent or immediate needs. Most people were managed on the day they contacted the service, while others were signposted appropriately or offered a future appointment based on clinical need.

Reception staff had received relevant training and used decision-support tools, including flowcharts and a sepsis telephone triage screening tool to help identify people requiring urgent assessment. Staff also used a clinical competency matrix showing which procedures individual nurses or clinicians were trained and competent to undertake. This helped ensure people were booked with the most appropriate member of the team.

Staff understood how to escalate concerns and refer people for emergency support when required, including mental health crisis services.

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

Staff said they felt valued and supported by leaders. Leaders took steps to understand and promote staff wellbeing, including providing facilities and resources to support safe working, encouraging regular breaks and providing access to rest areas. Staff told us they received support when work was challenging, and the service had introduced team-building days to promoted positive working relationships.

The 2026 staff survey demonstrated positive staff experience, with 88.9% positive responses overall. Staff reported clear roles and responsibilities, good day-to-day support and positive relationships with managers and colleagues.

Leaders used staff feedback to identify further opportunities for improvement. Planned actions included regular wellbeing check-ins, promotion of available wellbeing benefits, additional social events and strengthened development opportunities through role-specific training pathways and appraisal discussions.