The Limes Medical Practice

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 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.

Arrangements were in place to promote patients’ privacy. National GP Patient Survey data reflected people felt listened to and were treated with kindness. For example, 91% of patients felt the healthcare professional they saw was good at listening to them during their last appointment, compared to the national average of 87%. 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.

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.

Patients’ personal, cultural, social, religious and equality characteristics needs were understood and met. Patient communication needs were met to enable them to be fully involved in their care.

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 patients and their carers to access advocacy and community-based services.

Patients were supported to be involved in decisions about their care and treatment. Staff obtained and recorded consent appropriately and demonstrated understanding of legal frameworks such as the Mental Capacity Act and Gillick competence for patients under the age of 16. Patients were given information about treatment options and follow-up support, for example through telephone reviews after starting new medicines.

The practice recognised and responded to patients’ emotional and wellbeing needs. Staff signposted patients to appropriate external support services, including counselling and community-based services via social prescribing. Care coordinators were used to provide additional support, particularly for vulnerable patients and those with complex needs.

There was a system for appointment triage that ensured people with immediate needs had access to services. Staff we spoke with knew the process for referral to emergency support, including mental health crisis teams.

The practice demonstrated a supportive working culture, where staff reported feeling supported by GPs and the practice manager. Regular meetings, including three-weekly practice meetings and monthly protected learning time sessions, were used to support communication, training, and staff development.

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 and rest areas. Staff reported being supported if they were struggling at work.

There were also workforce pressures within the nursing team, with limited staffing and ongoing recruitment challenges. Despite this, staff described a positive team culture, and systems such as supervision, educational support for trainees, and a supportive management team contributed to a positive workforce.

The practice had recently employed an apprentice assistant manager who had been provided with a range of development opportunities. They demonstrated a proactive approach within their role and contributed positively to the wider management team, supporting day-to-day operations and service improvement.