The Longcroft Clinic

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

This is the first assessment for this provider under our new ways of reporting. This key question has been rated good.

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

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.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 that 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. 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. The practice had access to interpreter services, including British Sign Language. Patients were informed as to how to access their care records.

The practice 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. Patient feedback was collected through a variety of methods such as online, in person and through the NHS Friends and Family Test. The practice had a compliments procedure as they recognised the importance of sharing positive feedback. The practice had a complaints policy in line with recognised guidance.

During the inspection, we requested the practice signpost patients to how they could give patient feedback via the Give Feedback on Care form on the Care Quality Commission website. We received 36 positive and 5 negative comments. 3 of the negative comments were regarding problems with access. The national GP patient survey carried out from January to March 2024 found 46% of patient had a fairly to very good experience of contacting the service by phone. The national average was 50%.

The provider had identified changes to improve access to the service and had implemented a new telephony system. This system had been put in place after the survey results had been published and as such the results do not reflect the change. The practice had completed an audit in which they reviewed month-on-month call-handling performance, the impact of newly introduced features on key metrics and the recommend actions to optimise call performance and patient satisfaction.

The practice offered extended appointment times for people with a learning disability. People could access the service to suit their needs for example online, in person and by telephone. There were suitable disabled toilet facilities.

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. 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.

The practice had the appropriate processes in place to ensure people could register at the practice, including those in vulnerable circumstances. 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. This information was shared with other services when necessary.