Archived: Eltham Palace Surgery

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• Overview
• Person-centred Care
• Care provision, Integration and continuity
• Providing Information
• Listening to and involving people
• Equity in access
• Equity in experiences and outcomes
• Planning for the future

We looked for evidence that the service met people’s needs, and that staff treated people equally and without discrimination. At the last inspection we rated this key question as Requires Improvement. At this inspection the rating has remained the same.

We saw evidence of improved access to appointments for patients. Staff reported difficulties in responding to complaints in a timely manner due to ever increasing workloads. The practice had identified themes within complaints; however, it was unclear what action had been taken to prevent or reduce the reoccurrence of similar complaints.

This service scored 62 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

At our previous inspection in March 2024, patients told us they found it difficult to access same day appointments and there were long waits for routine appointments.

At this inspection in February 2025, patients told us they felt improvements had been made in relation to access to appointments. This included the introduction of an online method to make appointments, greater availability of urgent appointments, and shorter waiting times for routine appointments.

Consultation room doors had additional signage with clearer font to enable people with a visual impairment or learning disability to locate rooms more easily.

We did not look at Care provision, Integration and continuity during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Responsive.

We did not look at Providing Information during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Responsive.

At our previous inspection in March 2024, we found the link on the practice’s website to make a complaint did not work. Staff told us they did not know how to access meeting minutes where learning from complaints was discussed.

At this inspection in February 2025, we found improvements had been made. The link to submit complaints on the practice website worked. We saw from meeting minutes that complaints were discussed with staff. When asked, staff were able to explain how to access meeting minutes and gave examples of recent complaints.

Practice staff told us they had raised concerns with the GP partners regarding their ability to respond to complaints. Staff reported a lack of time and support to be able to respond to patients in a timely manner. We reviewed 4 complaints in detail. Two complaints had been received 11 days previously. Both patients had received an acknowledgement, but neither had received the final response. One complaint was investigated and responded to in 54 days, another was investigated and responded to in 99 days. Staff told us they believed both complaints would have been responded to in a shorter time frame if there were more staff employed by the practice to manage complaints.

We reviewed the practice’s complaints log. There were 29 complaints received in the last 12 months, 11 of these complaints were solely about one of the partners at the practice. It was unclear what action had been taken by the provider to address the concerns of these patients.

At our previous inspection in March 2024, we were not assured that all staff attended meetings or had access to meeting minutes where significant events, patient safety alerts, complaints and safeguarding concerns were discussed. There was a link on the practice’s website directing patients to a complaint form; however, this did not work at the time of the assessment in March 2024.

At this inspection we found improvements had been made. Staff told us they attended meetings where learning events were discussed, and we saw evidence of these discussions in meeting minutes. Patients were able to make complaints using the link on the practice website, or by contacting the practice manager via telephone or in person.

At our previous inspection in March 2024, we found patients were not able to access online appointment bookings. There was a hearing loop in reception; however, staff were unsure how to use this.

At this inspection in February 2025, we found improvements had been made. There was now a system for patients to book appointments online. Staff were able to demonstrate how to use the hearing loop in reception.

We did not look at Planning for the future during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Responsive.