Corbett Medical Practice

On this page

• Overview
• Kindness, compassion and dignity
• Treating people as individuals
• Independence, choice and control
• Responding to people’s immediate needs
• Workforce wellbeing and enablement

We looked for evidence the service involved people and treated them with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.

At our last assessment, we rated this key question as outstanding. At this assessment, the rating has changed to good. This meant people were supported and treated with dignity and respect; and involved as partners in their care.

This service scored 80 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The provider always treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. Staff treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect.

National GP Patient Survey data reflected that people felt listened to, involved in decisions about their care and treatment, and had high levels of confidence and trust in the healthcare professionals they saw. Other feedback received by CQC was consistently positive and reflected people's experiences of being treated with kindness, dignity and respect. Patients told us staff were caring, professional and responsive to their needs. They described being treated with dignity and respect and said staff took time to listen to them.

Arrangements were in place to promote patients' privacy and confidentiality. Reception staff understood the importance of maintaining confidentiality and could offer patients a private space to discuss sensitive matters where required. Staff recognised and responded appropriately to the needs of people who may be vulnerable, distressed or require additional support.

Feedback from staff was positive, and interactions we observed during the inspection were caring, respectful and person-centred.

The provider treated people as individuals and made sure people’s care, support and treatment met their needs and preferences. They took account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture, unique backgrounds and protected characteristics.

Patients’ personal, cultural, social, religious and equality needs were understood and met. Staff demonstrated an awareness of people’s individual circumstances and tailored care and support accordingly. Patients were encouraged to express their preferences and were involved in decisions about their care and treatment.

Staff demonstrated a flexible and personalised approach to care. They understood the needs of different patient groups, including people who were neurodiverse, deaf, military veterans, people experiencing poor mental health and those with mobility needs. Staff adapted their approach to help people access and engage with services in a way which met their individual needs.

The provider ensured communication needs were met to enable patients to be fully involved in their care. Interpretation services and information in accessible formats were available when required. Staff understood the need to make reasonable adjustments for people with disabilities and others who may experience barriers to accessing services, helping to ensure equitable access to care and treatment.

The provider maintained a register of carers and signposted them to appropriate support services. Staff worked with partner organisations where necessary to ensure vulnerable patients received coordinated and personalised care. Feedback from patients indicated they felt respected as individuals and staff took account of their personal circumstances when planning and delivering care.

The provider promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing.

Staff involved patients in decisions about their care and treatment and supported them to make informed choices. Patients were provided with information in a way they could understand, enabling them to participate fully in decisions about their health. Staff understood the principles of consent and respected patients’ choices, preferences and individual circumstances.

The provider encouraged people to take an active role in managing their health and wellbeing. Patients were supported to access information, self-management resources and preventative healthcare services. Care and treatment reflected people’s individual needs, goals and preferences.

Patients were supported to understand and access available healthcare services. For example, the provider had developed tailored registration information for Ukrainian refugees to encourage engagement with healthcare reviews and support informed decisions about their health and wellbeing.

Staff helped patients and their carers to access advocacy and community-based services where required. The provider worked with social prescribers and other agencies to help people improve their health and wellbeing, maintain their independence and access coordinated care which promoted choice and control.

The provider listened to and understood people’s needs, views and wishes. Staff responded to people’s needs in the moment and acted to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress.

Staff understood how to recognise and respond to urgent physical and mental health needs, including referral to emergency and mental health crisis services when required. Patients were provided with information on accessing urgent and out-of-hours care, and staff worked with other healthcare providers to ensure people received timely support when needed.

The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care.

Staff consistently told us they felt valued, respected and well supported by leaders. Leaders had created a positive and inclusive culture and took proactive steps to support wellbeing and prevent burnout. This included protected daily coffee breaks, limiting clinical sessions to manageable lengths, funding mindfulness training, and appointing wellbeing champions across staff groups. A dedicated multi-faith room was available for prayer and reflection, and locum clinicians were supported to feel part of the wider team.

We saw evidence leaders actively listened to staff and acted on their feedback. For example, following the promotion of a staff member with responsibility for reception staff development, leaders supported the introduction of a structured training programme for new reception staff. This replaced a shorter induction model and provided staff with enhanced opportunities to develop their knowledge, skills and confidence in their roles.

Staff described a supportive team culture, strengthened through regular opportunities for peer support and team-building activities. Workforce retention was exceptionally high, with several staff members having worked at the practice for over 30 years. The last member of staff to resign from the practice was in 2023. This demonstrated a stable workforce and reflected the positive culture created by leaders.