West Common Lane Teaching Practice

On this page

• 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

People were involved in decisions about their care. The service provided information people could understand. People knew how to give feedback and were confident the service took it seriously and acted on it. The service was easy to access and worked to eliminate discrimination. People received fair and equal care and treatment. The service worked to reduce health and care inequalities through training and feedback. People were involved in planning their care and understood options around choosing to withdraw or not receive care.

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 made sure people were at the centre of their care and treatment choices and they decided, in partnership with people, how to respond to any relevant changes in people’s needs.

Care plans reflected physical, mental, emotional, and social needs of patients including those related to protected characteristics under the Equality Act. Our review of clinical records showed patients were supported to understand their condition and were involved in planning for their care needs. They were also involved in decisions about their care.

The service understood the diverse health and care needs of people and their local communities, so care was joined-up, flexible and supported choice and continuity.

We saw the practice worked in partnership with other services to meet the needs of its patient population. The practice had tailored its services to meet the diverse needs of its community. For example, the service had published information on its website to support patients with neurodivergent needs, providing guidance on available services and local referral pathways.

The service supplied appropriate, accurate and up-to-date information in formats that were tailored to individual needs. For example, one of the GPs had created a video, shared on social media, to explain how patients could access services and how the appointment triage system worked.

The practice had access to interpreter services, including British Sign Language. Information provided by the service met the Accessible Information Standard. Patients were informed as how they could access their care records.

The service had processes in place for people to share feedback and ideas, or raise complaints about their care, treatment and support. They involved people in decisions about their care and told them what had changed as a result. National GP Patient Survey data showed 91% of patients said the last healthcare professional they saw or spoke with was good at listening to them (national average 87%).

We saw complaints were managed in line with the practice’s policy. Learning from complaints was evident and staff were able to identify changes made as a result of patient feedback, including complaints. For example, the process for prescribing certain diabetic medicines had been amended to ensure that patients had received retinal screening prior to starting the medicine.

The service made sure that people could access the care, support and treatment they needed when they needed it.

In response to the National GP Patient Survey data and from feedback from members of the community, the provider had identified changes to improve access to the service introducing a GP triage system for example. Care navigators signposted patients to the most appropriate service or to the on-call GP to triage. They demonstrated a good understanding of the process, supported by flowcharts and guidance documents, with additional daily support available from an on-call GP.

The service also offered extended opening hours at the main site until 8pm on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays. People could access the service to suit their needs be that online, in person and by telephone. Treatment rooms were available on the ground floor at both sites and accessible facilities were available.

The National GP Patient Survey data showed 70% of patients reported a positive experience contacting their practice (national average 70%) and 71% said it was easy to get through on the telephone (national average 53%).

Staff and leaders actively listened to information about people who are most likely to experience inequality in experience or outcomes and tailored their care, support and treatment in response to this.

Feedback provided by people using the service, both to the provider as well as to CQC, was mostly positive. On the latest National GP Patient Survey, 95% of patients said they had confidence and trust in the last healthcare professional they saw or spoke with (national average 92.5%) and 79% of patients responded positively to their overall experience of their GP practice (national average 75%). Staff treated people equally and without discrimination. Leaders proactively sought ways to address any barriers to improving people’s experience and worked with local organisations, including within the voluntary sector, to address any local health inequalities. The practice was an Armed Forces Veteran Friendly Accredited Practice, with trained staff able to support veterans and their families and signpost them to specialist services where appropriate. Staff understood the importance of providing an inclusive approach to care and made adjustments to support equity in people’s experience and outcomes. The provider had processes to ensure people could register at the practice, including those in vulnerable circumstances such as homeless people and Travellers.

People were supported to plan for important life changes, so they could have enough time to make informed decisions about their future, including at the end of their life.

Our records review showed people were supported to consider their wishes for their end-of-life care, including cardiopulmonary resuscitation. This information was shared with other services when necessary.