Cheam Family 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 79 (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.

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, arranging community groups to run information sessions during the annual flu vaccination sessions. There were established mechanisms for engaging with the community healthcare provider.

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

National GP Patient Survey data reflected people felt satisfied with how easy it was to contact the practice. 67% of people who responded to the 2025 survey said that it was easy to contact their GP practice on the phone, higher than the national average of 53%.

People could access the service to suit their needs for example online, in person and by telephone. Most treatment rooms were on the first floor. People who had difficulty with stairs were allocated appointments on the ground floor.

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 generally very 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. Staff understood the importance of providing an inclusive approach to care and made adjustments to support equity in people’s experience and outcomes. 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 service looked after people in residential settings. Staff from these settings told us that leaders took care to ensure that people who lived in these settings received a high standard of care, with regular visits where appropriate to help meet their needs.

The practice was registered as a Safe Surgery. Staff at the practice had received extra training to ensure that they understood entitlement to NHS care, common barriers to those in vulnerable circumstances (which also include homeless people and Travellers) and good practice. There was information in the practice and on the practice website to explain to people that they could register regardless of proof of identity or nationality. As part of their work to reduce barriers, the practice proactively invited patients experiencing homelessness for physical health checks and preventative healthcare reviews.

The service had been an accredited as a Veteran Friendly GP Practice since 2021. The scheme helps GP practices to identify and support people who serve or have served in the armed forces and their families. Staff received additional training and can refer people to specific health services for military personnel and veterans.

As a result of changes to their registration processes the service increased the number of people coded as being a veteran from 4 to 26 and identified 2 people as family members of military personnel or veterans. More recently the service had added questions about military service to the multimorbidity questionnaire used for annual reviews.

The service had reviewed the impact of their Veteran Friendly work and collated a number of examples where people were offered tailored support, including referral to veteran-specific specialists, expedited care and referrals to Veteran support workers and Veteran social prescribers to help people access other services and make new social connections with people who understood their challenges.

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.