Blake House 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

We assessed all quality statements in the caring key question. At our last assessment we did not inspect this key question. At this assessment we rated the key question as good.

We looked for evidence that the service involved people and treated them with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect. Staff protected people’s privacy and dignity. They treated them as individuals and supported their preferences. People had a choice in their care and treatment. The service supported staff wellbeing.

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.

Staff treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect.

The service had a room available for any mother choosing to breastfeed in private.

We observed kind and caring interactions between staff and people.

In response to the 2024 National GP Patient Survey data showed 85% of respondents felt listened to and treated with kindness. It showed 86.5% of respondents also said the healthcare professional they saw or spoke to was good or fairly good at listening to them during their last appointment. This was in line with the national average of 86.7%. The survey also showed 85% of people said their healthcare professional was good at treating them with care and concern. This is in line with the national average of 85%.

Considering the size of the service, staff felt they knew their people very well. Staff understood the importance of confidentiality and privacy. Staff we spoke with understood Gillick competency and there was a process to ensure young people’s had control over their own privacy and the amount of parental involvement in managing their care and 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.

People 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. Staff showed an understanding of protected characteristics and how best to support them.

For people who were visually impaired, the service provided information in alternative formats.

The 2024 National GP Patient Survey data showed us that 85% of respondents had an overall positive experience whilst using the service, this was compared to the national average of 74%.

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

The 2024 National GP Patient Survey data showed 91% of respondent felt they had been involved in decisions being made about their care. This meets the expected national average of 91%.

Staff helped people and their carers to access advocacy and community-based services as well as support services.

Staff ensured people using the service had all options available to them so they could make informed decisions about the care and treatment they received.

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 to ensure people with immediate needs had access to relevant services. This was performed by duty clinicians. Staff we spoke with were able to identify when a person’s condition was worsening and ask for senior clinician support if required. At the time of the assessment, there was a 4 week wait for a routine face to face appointment with a GP and a telephone consultation was available within2 days of our onsite visit. The service reserves on the day appointments for urgent needs.

Reception staff could identify people that required signposting to more appropriate services, such as 999 or those who needed to attend an Emergency Department.

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

Staff attended regular team meetings and told us they felt 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, with reasonable adjustments being offered to those who need it. Policies took account of best practice guidance around lone working, HR, staff safety and workforce wellbeing.