The Ridgeway Surgery

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 Outstanding, however we found that some of those elements previously regarded as outstanding practice are now embedded throughout most GP practices. Whilst the provider had maintained this good practice, the threshold to achieve an outstanding rating has not been reached. At this assessment, the rating has changed to Good.
 

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. Patients were actively involved in planning their care and treatment through a collaborative, person-centred approach. Clinicians discussed assessment findings, diagnoses, treatment options, benefits, risks and likely outcomes with patients, enabling them to make informed decisions about their care.

One patient we spoke with told us that they weren’t always made aware of when a referral had been rejected and that patients didn’t always get to know this. Another patient told us they were reasonably involved in decisions about their care and treatment.

From the 2025 National GP patient survey, 91% of respondents said that during their last appointment they were involved as much as they wanted to be in decisions about their care and treatment which was in line with the 91% national average.

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. Patients with ongoing or complex healthcare needs were supported to see their usual clinician or clinical team. The practice aimed to offer follow-up appointments with the same clinician where appropriate, maintain clear records of ongoing management plans, promote continuity through care navigation and appointment systems and identify patients who may benefit from enhanced continuity arrangements. The practice had been approached by the University of Birmingham who were undertaking research on continuity of care. Using the patient survey and General Practice Appointment Data they had identified the practice as one with a high level of continuity of care.

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. The practice had access to interpreter services. Information provided by the service met the Accessible Information Standard. Patients were informed as to how to access their care records. A variety of posters and signposting information was available for patients in the waiting room which included baby clinics, sexual health, health screening, exercise, diabetes, dementia, health visiting service and local NHS services.

In the 2025 National GP Patient Survey, 90% felt the healthcare professional they saw had all the information they needed about them during their last general practice appointment which was just below the national average of 92%.
 

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. The practice regularly held meetings with the Patient Participation Group which had a strong presence and voice at the practice. Information was shared to the PPG by the practice as well as the practice listening to feedback from the PPG. This has resulted in some improvements, such as the website being updated and a blood pressure machine in the waiting room.

The service aimed for people to access the care, support and treatment they needed when they needed it. Results from the 2025 National GP Patient Survey showed that 35% of respondents were offered a choice of time or day when they last tried to make a general practice appointment which was below the 54% national average. 39% found it easy to contact this GP practice using the NHS App which was below the 49% national average, and 48% found it easy to get through to this GP practice by phone which was just below the 53% national average. People could access the service to suit their needs for example online, in person and by telephone.

Patients who required longer appointments did have the choice for extended appointments. Patients we spoke with said there was progress made with the system to book appointments online (Patches), such as being asked which doctor you would prefer to see.

The practice used the Silent Sounds Interpreting Service to support patients whose first language is not English. Interpreters were arranged for consultations, reviews, long-term condition management, and other clinical interactions to ensure patients can fully understand their treatment options, consent processes, medication advice, and follow-up care.

The practice carried out an interpreter audit and found that Arabic and Farsi represent 61.9% of all interpreting activity. The audit found that 184 interpretation episodes were delivered, support provided across at least 10 commonly requested languages and a high utilisation among populations with limited English proficiency, which helped reduce barriers to accessing treatment.
 

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. The provider ensured people could register at the practice, including those in vulnerable circumstances such as homeless people. Patients who required longer appointments were identified and offered extended appointments. Staff treated people equally and without discrimination.

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.