Two Rivers 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 key question continued to be rated as good. Staff regularly reviewed people’s care and worked with other services to achieve this.People were treated with kindness and compassion, staff protected their privacy and dignity, treated them as individuals and supported their preferences. People had choice in their care and treatment. Practice leaders 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.

Practice staff treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. Staff treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect.

Care home representatives were positive about how visiting clinicians treated people with respect and dignity, and confirmed people’s privacy and confidentiality was maintained. We reviewed indicators in the National GP Patient Survey data, published in July 2024. The practice percentages were in line with the England average for the 4 indicators which related to kindness, compassion and dignity.

Positive feedback regarding staff, which included feedback from people, was shared with staff in a ‘praise’ channel on teams. Examples included feeling comfortable and at ease during clinical procedures, caring approach of staff and staff showing empathy.

During the site visit we observed staff to be friendly and helpful with people at the reception desk and when supporting people by telephone. Notices were displayed to inform people that a private room was available if they wanted to discuss a sensitive issue or if people were distressed. Clinical rooms had privacy curtains. The practice had a dedicated room for breast feeding, and a quieter waiting area was available on request and information was available about this in the reception area.

Arrangements were in place to promote people’s privacy. All staff were aware of the importance of people’s confidentiality and gave examples of how this was maintained. Staff also gave examples of how they treated people with kindness, respect and compassion.

Practice staff 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, culture and protected characteristics.

We reviewed the National GP Patient Survey data, published in July 2024. The indicator for people being involved as much as they wanted to be in decisions about their care and treatment was in line with the England average. The majority of feedback from people using the service was positive. People felt involved in any assessment of their needs and felt confident that staff understood their individual needs. Care home representatives gave examples of when people’s individual needs had been considered by practice staff.

Staff and leaders told us that people’s individual needs and preferences were understood and reflected in their care, treatment and support. This included people’s social, cultural and religious needs. An example was given of support and advice for people with diabetes through special celebrations such as Ramadan, and dietary options which were inclusive of cultural cuisine. Staff supported people’s communication needs to enable them to be fully involved in their care. Staff were required to undertake specific training to improve their own knowledge and understanding of how to support people. This included training on equality and diversity and learning disability and autism awareness.

Staff gave examples of reasonable adjustments in place for people, for example one person had their favourite television programme playing on the computer to help them relax during a procedure. Practice paramedics visited people at home, who had been identified as having specific vulnerabilities. GPs supported people released from prison to enable a smooth transition. Arrangements were in place to identify and support people who were digitally excluded.

The service promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing. Feedback we received was positive with people’s individual needs and choices being considered during care and treatment decisions. Care home representatives told us people were involved in their care and treatment decisions, and carers who knew people well, were involved in supporting this.

Staff demonstrated a supportive approach to ensuring people were empowered to be involved in their care and treatment decisions. Staff supported people to make informed decisions about their care, and in some cases with their carers, when appropriate. This included discussions about care, and treatment options to decide on what would work best. 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 treatment. Staff helped people and their carers to access advocacy and community-based services.

There were systems and processes in place to promote people’s independence and control over their care and treatment. Information was available in the practice and on the practice website which advised people how to access a range of support groups and organisations, which included drug and alcohol services. People could self-refer to a range of services using links from the practice website.

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. People who provided feedback for this assessment had no specific views or concerns in this area. Care home representatives told us they were able to obtain support to meet people’s immediate needs. Examples were given in relation to end of life care.

Staff knew how to respond to people’s immediate needs and how to recognise when urgent help or support was required. Staff told us about systems and training in place to support this, which included guidance and training on sepsis, the use of panic alarms, and the availability of emergency medicines and equipment. The practice had a duty GP available every day to review urgent requests and support as necessary. There was a system for appointment triage that ensured people with immediate needs, including mental health needs, had access to services.

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

The practice had a workforce strategy which included a range of objectives and actions which included for example, support learning, development and career progression, and promote wellbeing and resilience. Leaders had taken steps to meet the wellbeing needs of staff, which included the necessary resources and facilities for safe working, such as lone working arrangements, regular breaks and rest areas. Fruit was also delivered to the practice and freely available for all staff. We received positive comments from staff about this.

Staff were referred to occupational health as appropriate and advice and recommendations were implemented. A number of staff gave examples of when practice leaders had supported them with work and personal issues. Other staff told us they were encouraged to have regular breaks during the working day. Positive feedback regarding staff, which included feedback from people, was shared with staff in a ‘praise’ channel on teams. The majority of staff were positive about working at the practice and were appreciative of the processes to support them at work.

Practice leaders gathered feedback from staff informally and formally through anonymous surveys conducted twice a year. In the most recent staff survey completed in January 2025, staff feedback identified a Christmas social was the preferred option and this had been approved by practice leaders.