Bartholomew Medical Group

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. There was an effective duty doctor system in place which provided additional support to reception staff and also allowed patients to be triaged swiftly and effectively. People received fair and equal care and treatment. The service worked to reduce health and care inequalities through training and feedback. The practice had identified parts of their practice population which suffered from an increased level of deprivation in and around their branch site. As a result, they planned services so that they would be available at both sites so as not to disadvantage patients. 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.

The latest available results from the National GP Patient Survey showed that 91% of patients were involved as much as they wanted to be in decisions about their care and treatment. This was in line with the local and national average of 91%.

The practice had identified that patients situated around their branch site in Old Goole were in a higher level of deprivation. As a result of this when planning services, they ensured that services were available at both sites so all patients could access them.

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.

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 provider had created the role of a domestic violence champion. This was within their PCN and part of their care navigation team. As a result of this the practice could refer patients with their consent to domestic violence and abuse partnership (DVAP) service at East Yorkshire council. The practice also had a carers champion and a cancer champion. They were in the process of developing further services within the PCN to concentrate on things such as local frailty services, dementia and memory services and young carers. There were established mechanisms for engaging with the community healthcare provider.

The provider worked with other practices within their PCN to offer extended access, and flu and covid vaccination programmes. The practice also worked with their PCN to provide a care home team who conducted weekly ward rounds for residents. This had reduced GP visits significantly.

The service supplied appropriate, accurate and up-to-date information in formats that were tailored to individual needs.

Information to promote the take up of screening and immunisation programmes was available in a range of languages. 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 to how to access their care records.

The practice maintained a list of patients that did not have a mobile phone. These patients were sent information via letters when required.

Results from the National GP Patient Survey showed that 94% of patients knew that the next step would be after contacting the GP practice. This was above the local and national average of 93%.

The service made it easy 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.

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, changes to the process of reviewing blood results for patients who are pregnant.

The practice acknowledged complaints within 3 working days, followed by a thorough investigation. Outcomes were then communicated to the complainant. Additionally, the practice conducted an annual analysis of complaints to identify recurring themes and trends.

The service made sure that people could access the care, support and treatment they needed when they needed it. We received positive feedback from patients who told us they were able to access appointments when they required them.

The latest available results from the National GP Patient Survey showed that the practice achieved above local and national average for how easy it was for patients to get through to the practice by phone and how easy it was to contact the practice using the NHS App.

We looked at the practice’s appointment system and could see that patients were able to book appointments that suited their individual needs. This included face to face, telephone and online appointments. We saw that there were still appointments available that day for patients. We observed that the practice utilised a duty doctor system. Every day one of the GPs would sit with the reception team in order to provide immediate support and assistance for staff. They were able to efficiently triage patients and provide them with immediate support or advice, or book them in for face-to-face appointments when required. Staff we spoke with were very positive about this system as they could easily ask advice from a GP when required.

Staff were able to signpost patients to the most appropriate pathways when required. This included the pharmacy first scheme, social prescribers and the local out of hours facility.

The practice was able to offer extended appointments for people with a learning disability or patients with comorbidities. Treatment rooms were available on the ground floor, and a ramp and automatic door had been fitted to the entrance.

Staff and leaders were innovative in how they listened to information about people who are most likely to experience inequality in experience or outcomes. Staff and leaders actively used this information to provide exceptionally tailored 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 positive. 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. We saw several instances where the provider worked with social prescribers to improve the lives of patients experiencing health inequalities. This included patients who were identified as needing support, such as those provided funding for essential items like new boilers due to having no hot water, and a visually impaired patient who received specialist equipment to help them live more independently at home.

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. Staff used appropriate systems to capture and review feedback from people using the service, including those who did not speak English or have access to the internet.

The practice identified that patients living near their branch site in Old Goole were experienced higher levels of deprivation. In response, they ensured that services were planned to be available at both sites, enabling equity and experiences for all patients.

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.