The Whickham 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 the provider met people’s needs, and 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.

We did not look at Person-centred Care during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Responsive.

We did not look at Care provision, Integration and continuity during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Responsive.

We did not look at Providing Information during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Responsive.

We did not look at Listening to and involving people during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Responsive.

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

The provider performed better than the national average in the results of the 2025 National GP Patient Survey. This showed people could access the service when they needed it in a way that suited their needs, such as by telephone, in person or through the service’s website. For example, 82% of respondents to the survey described their overall experience of contacting this service as being good, compared to a national average of 70%. In response to feedback from people who used the service, staff had made changes to improve access. This included implementing an improved telephony service as well as installing an automatic inner door to the practice entrance to make it easier for people to access the service. The provider used data from the telephony system to help them monitor and manage access. They shared this with staff and patients (via social media) to help people understand the work of the practice.

Consultation and treatments rooms were either level access or could be accessed via a lift.

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

Staff treated people equally and without discrimination. Leaders proactively sought ways to address any barriers to improving people’s experience and worked with local services, including within the voluntary sector, to address any local health inequalities. For example, the provider had achieved accreditation as a Veteran Friendly practice for those patients who had worked in the Armed Forces and had won a gold award for being a Children and Young People Friendly Practice from the local Integrated Care Board.

Staff understood the importance of providing an inclusive approach to care and made adjustments to support equity in people’s experience and outcomes. We saw several examples, where staff were supporting frail elderly patients with access to and from the service. Staff followed processes to ensure people could register at the service, including those in vulnerable circumstances such as homeless people and Travellers. Staff used systems to capture and review feedback from people who used the service, which included those who did not speak English or have access to the internet. This was reflected in the feedback shared from people who used the service, which was positive.

We did not look at Planning for the future during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Responsive.