Riverside Medical 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

We looked for evidence that the service met people’s needs, and that staff treated people equally and without discrimination.

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 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 towards the end of their lives.

The National GP Patient Survey 2025 data showed that 88% of respondents felt listened to at their last GP appointment. This was higher with the national average of 87%.

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, building relationships with community groups to promote the take up of screening programmes.

The National GP Patient Survey 2025 data showed that 58% of respondents usually got to see or speak to their preferred healthcare professional when they wanted to. This was higher than the national average of 40%.

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. Interpreters had attended information sessions held by the practice about the practice merger, both to provide their feedback and to support people in understanding the information provided. Information provided by the service met the Accessible Information Standard. Patients were informed as to how to access their care records. The National GP Patient Survey 2025 data showed that 91% of respondents knew what the next step would be after contacting their GP practice. This was higher than the national average of 83%.

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.

The National GP Patient Survey 2025 data showed that 88% of respondents felt listened to at their last GP appointment. This was higher with the national average of 87%. Prior to our assessment, the practice had undergone a merger with another local practice. We saw evidence that the practice leadership had engaged with the local population regarding this change and had conducted a survey following the merger to gather feedback on the changes.

Staff were able to raise concerns through a concern book, in meetings, or via an online QR code. All clinical staff attended learning sessions on a Tuesday, and a daily catch up in which any concerns or ideas could be discussed.

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

People could access the service to suit their needs for example online, in person and by telephone.

The National GP Patient Survey 2025 data showed that 89% of respondents found it easy to contact the practice via telephone, 72% found it easy to contact the practice via their website, and 78% found it easy to contact the practice via the NHS app. These results were all higher than the national averages of 53%, 51%, and 49% respectively.

Practice leaders had taken steps to improve access following the merger with another practice. Longer appointments had been made standard practice by practice leaders following the merger, to account for more complex patient needs. Extra clinical and administrative rooms and staff had been added to the practice to make extra appointments available.

The practice opened daily at 7am to provide additional early morning appointments to patients. Practice leaders routinely monitored access, including the time it took for a member of staff to answer the phone. At the time of the assessment, all calls were answered in under 30 seconds.

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 was positive. Staff treated people equally and without discrimination. 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.

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.