Hazeldene Medical Centre

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• 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 new registration with CQC in July 2025. 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 always treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. Staff treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect.

Most feedback received by the CQC was prior to the new provider’s registration. Although there had been continuity in the service and key staff including the senior clinical leadership team, this feedback has not been used to inform our judgements. Instead, we have focused on how the current provider is improving the service.

Data from the 2025 national GP Patient Survey, along with people’s feedback received by the CQC prior to the current provider’s registration, was variable with some people reporting positive interactions with staff, while others described occasions where communication lacked compassion and empathy.

The service promoted a culture of treating people with kindness, compassion, dignity, and respect. Staff demonstrated a clear understanding of person-centred care, providing examples of supporting people in a sensitive and respectful way. They also engaged with its patient participation group to support this approach.

Arrangements were in place to promote people’s privacy. 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.

During our onsite visits, we noted the service had not yet addressed how people’s privacy in the waiting area would be maintained following an incident at the Chamberlayne Road site that resulted in damage to the glass panels at the front of the building. We raised this with the provider who responded promptly seeking people’s feedback and displaying quotes on the premise’s external windows to provide a degree of cover and improve privacy for people in the waiting area.

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’s personal, cultural, social, religious and equality characteristics were understood and respected, and care was delivered in a way that reflected these individual preferences.

People’s communication needs were identified at registration and reviewed as part of ongoing care. Appropriate adjustments were made to ensure people were able to fully understand information, express their wishes, and be actively involved in planning their care and future needs.

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 to access advocacy and community-based services. For example, information about charities and other support agencies was available in waiting areas. The service also had access to social prescribers through the primary care network (PCN), who provided people with support and information on local community services.

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 operated a two-stage triage system to support safe and effective clinical decision-making to ensure people’s immediate needs were met. Initial triage was undertaken by trained clinical pharmacists, who prioritised people and identified those at higher risk, including vulnerable groups. All medical requests were then reviewed and finalised by a GP, providing an additional layer of clinical oversight. The service supported this approach with structured training, regular audits, and ongoing governance processes to monitor quality, share learning, and continuously improve triage safety. Unverified data provided by the service indicated that attendances at the local hospitals’ Emergency Departments was below the borough average.

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

Leaders demonstrated a commitment to staff wellbeing by providing appropriate resources and facilities for safe working, such as regular breaks and rest areas. Staff engagement was encouraged through social events and monthly all-staff meetings, which included shared learning, updates, recognition of achievements, and lunch.

A weekly staff newsletter was shared with all team members, providing updates and promoting team-building activities to support engagement and communication. A “Star of the Month” scheme recognised staff contributions with rewards and development opportunities. Staff reported feeling supported and valued by leaders, particularly when experiencing challenges at work.

Data from staff feedback collected between March and May 2025 showed that, while staff described working within the service as fast-paced and challenging, the overall response was positive. Staff highlighted the service as being supportive, flexible, professional, innovative, and rewarding.