Camelford 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.
People responding to the services patient survey spoke positively about their experiences of care and treatment. Feedback from the survey showed that 82% of respondents felt they were treated with dignity and respect, 79% reported that clinicians listened carefully and 81% said they would recommend the service. People described staff as friendly, respectful, professional and compassionate.
The service promoted people’s privacy and dignity. Privacy curtains were available in consultation rooms, chaperone information was clearly displayed, and staff had received appropriate training. During our onsite visit, we observed staff interacting with people in a respectful, compassionate and person-centred way.
 

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 needs were understood and met. People’s communication needs were met to enable them to be fully involved in their care. The service made reasonable adjustments such as digital flags on people's records to alert staff that a downstairs room is required due to mobility reasons or that a person did not wish to see a particular GP. The service had arrangements to support carers, veterans, people with learning disabilities and those requiring translation services.
People responding to the service's own patient survey reported that staff took time to listen and involve them in decisions about their care, with 88% of respondents stating they were involved in decisions regarding their treatment and 87% reporting they understood their treatment plan.
 

The service promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing.
The service provided people with information to support informed choices about their health and treatment. Staff described providing patient information leaflets, such as information relating to antibiotic prescribing. The service’s website contained health promotion information on screening, NHS Health Checks, maternity services and contraception. Information to support screening and immunisation uptake was available in a range of languages.
People had choice how they accessed the service such as walk in or by phone and in their appointments type where this could be accommodated. Staff described how they supported people to complete online consultation requests.
 

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 a digital triage service that was overseen by a GP. This system ensured that where people had immediate needs, they could access services. We reviewed the appointment system and saw urgent medical needs were identified and these were prioritised appropriately. During our onsite visit, we evidenced that on-the-day appointments were available as well as prebook able appointments. Staff knew how to support people who displayed signs of needing urgent medical attention such as sepsis.
The service used digital alerts to identify people who may require a more urgent response, including people aged over 75 and children under 5. Staff demonstrated an understanding of how to escalate concerns through the duty GP system and provided examples of responding flexibly to people experiencing distress or requiring additional support.
 

The service cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported and enabled staff 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. The service’s 3 sites operated from buildings with limited space and did not always have a dedicated staff rest area. However, staff told us they were able to take breaks using available rooms or outdoor space when required.
Staff felt supported by managers and clinical leads and described the service as a supportive place to work. The service's staff survey reflected this positive culture with 94% of respondents stated that the service supported their wellbeing.