NPC North Tyneside – Spring Terrace

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.

At our last assessment, we rated this key question as good. At this assessment, the rating remains the same.

This service scored 85 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

Staff treated people with kindness, compassion and respect. We saw evidence of a caring culture that extended beyond the delivery of healthcare, with staff actively supporting vulnerable people and the wider community.

Results from the 2026 National GP Patient Survey showed that 89% of respondents felt they were treated with care and concern, which was higher than the national average of 86%.

The provider respected people's privacy, dignity and confidentiality when delivering care and treatment. Chaperones were available where appropriate, and arrangements were in place to maintain privacy and dignity during consultations and examinations. The organisation demonstrated its commitment to inclusive, person-centred care through Pride in Practice Gold Accreditation, reflecting work to ensure LGBT+ people received inclusive and respectful care. The practice also acted as a dedicated practice and correspondence address for people accessing women's refuge and domestic abuse services across North Tyneside where a protected address was required. This helped maintain confidentiality, reduce barriers to accessing healthcare and support the safety and dignity of people experiencing domestic abuse.

We were told staff regularly participated in charitable and community initiatives, including foodbank collections, community appeals and fundraising activities. Recent fundraising events raised money for Macmillan Cancer Support, for Crisis through a Christmas fundraising initiative and for Northumbria's Bright Charity.

The practice supported local charities and community organisations by providing collection points across its branch sites for foodbank donations and charitable appeals. This helped coordinate donations from patients, staff and members of the wider community. Staff also promoted access to local support services and, at 1 site, had made 11 referrals for patients experiencing hardship and requiring additional support.

Community initiatives included foodbank donation schemes, Christmas gift appeals, fundraising events and volunteering activities. Through these initiatives, gifts, hampers and practical support were provided to local children, families and older people experiencing hardship. One Christmas, support initiatives helped provide support to approximately 110 children, 10 families and 25 older people within the local community.

Feedback from community partners highlighted the positive impact of this support. Recipients reported feeling supported, valued and remembered, with some describing how the assistance helped reduce financial pressures and feelings of isolation.

The practice treated people as individuals and sought to understand and respond to their personal, cultural, social and communication needs. Staff worked to ensure care, support and treatment reflected people's preferences, circumstances and what mattered to them.

The practice used population health data and community engagement to better understand the needs of different population groups. This included a detailed health inequalities assessment of the local Bangladeshi population, which identified needs relating to long-term conditions, preventative healthcare, language and access to services. For example, the assessment identified lower uptake of annual diabetes reviews and flu vaccinations amongst eligible Bangladeshi patients, alongside communication barriers affecting access to care. Findings informed targeted interventions including translated health information, interpreter support, culturally responsive care, support relating to Ramadan and targeted initiatives to improve access to screening, vaccination and long-term condition reviews. As this was a newly established workstream, a full re-audit had not yet been completed. However, leaders had started putting the planned interventions in place and established a framework for monitoring their outcomes

Staff considered people's cultural and religious needs when planning and delivering care. This included developing greater awareness of issues relevant to the local Bangladeshi community, such as communication needs, health beliefs, Ramadan, Hajj, halal medicines and end-of-life preferences.

The practice used learning from engagement with people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities to better understand barriers to accessing healthcare and preventative services. Learning from this work informed service delivery and helped ensure care was responsive to the needs of local communities. For example, engagement relating to cervical screening identified language and information barriers, leading to multilingual text communications, direct booking opportunities and improved access to information. Following targeted invitations, 2 women attended cervical screening appointments, including 1 woman who had not previously attended screening.

Communication needs were supported through interpreter services, translated information and other reasonable adjustments where required, helping people to be fully involved in decisions about their care and treatment.

The practice promoted people’s independence and supported them to make informed decisions about their care and treatment. Staff worked with patients to ensure they understood their options and were involved in decisions that affected their health and wellbeing.

Data from the 2026 National GP Patient Survey showed that 95% of respondents felt involved as much as they wanted to be in decisions about their care and treatment, compared with a national average of 92%. In addition, 49% of respondents reported that they usually saw or spoke to their preferred healthcare professional, compared with a national average of 42%.

The practice also supported people to maintain their independence through personalised care planning, advance care planning and coordinated multidisciplinary working.

The practice listened to and understood people's needs, views and wishes. Staff responded to people's needs in a timely way and acted to minimise discomfort, concern and distress.

There was a duty doctor system in place to ensure people with immediate needs could access urgent assessment and support. Staff we spoke with understood how to access urgent assistance for patients presenting with immediate concerns.

The practice also used a care navigation tool to help ensure patients were directed to the most appropriate clinician or service based on their needs, supporting timely access to care and treatment.

The provider placed a strong emphasis on staff wellbeing and recognised the relationship between workforce wellbeing and the quality of care delivered to patients. Staff wellbeing was monitored through monthly surveys for staff and GPs, with results reviewed and acted upon where required. Each site had a designated Wellbeing Champion and developed initiatives tailored to the needs of its local team. Wellbeing scores were generally positive and demonstrated sustained improvement in some locations over time, reflecting the organisation's commitment to staff wellbeing and continuous improvement.

The organisation promoted a culture of active listening and open conversations about wellbeing. Staff were encouraged to provide feedback and contribute to decision making. Wellbeing was discussed during daily team huddles, where staff were invited to score their wellbeing or mood, enabling managers and colleagues to identify when additional support may be required and respond accordingly.

Staff feedback directly informed improvements to working practices, facilities and wellbeing initiatives. Examples included protected GP administrative time, protected nurse lunch breaks, improved staff facilities and wellbeing spaces, revised appointment systems, additional equipment and enhanced staff rest areas. The provider also invested dedicated wellbeing funding across its sites and actively involved staff in determining local priorities. For example, a wellbeing fund at Spring Terrace supported improvements including outdoor seating areas, refreshments, wellbeing resources and initiatives to promote staff health and wellbeing.

At Spring Terrace, staff also introduced a 'Positive Tree' to promote recognition between colleagues and a 'Rocks in the Shoes' board to identify and address workplace frustrations.

The organisation developed a GP Surviving to Thriving programme to support GP wellbeing and workload management. Feedback indicated many GPs valued protected administrative time and opportunities to undertake proactive patient care and follow-up work. Leaders used programme feedback to identify further opportunities to improve staff support and ways of working.

Investment through the wellbeing programme also benefitted patients. For example, funding was used to purchase clinical equipment and a waiting-room blood pressure monitoring machine to support patient self-management and access to health monitoring.