Ballater Surgery

On this page

• Overview
• Assessing needs
• Delivering evidence-based care and treatment
• How staff, teams and services work together
• Supporting people to live healthier lives
• Monitoring and improving outcomes
• Consent to care and treatment

We looked for evidence that staff involved people in decisions about their care and treatment and provided them advice and support. Staff regularly reviewed people’s care and worked with other services to achieve this.

At our last assessment, we rated this key question as good. At this assessment, the rating remains the same.

This service scored 71 (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’s care and treatment was effective by assessing and reviewing their health, care, wellbeing and communication needs with them.

Feedback from people using the service was positive. People felt involved in any assessment of their needs and felt confident that staff understood their individual and cultural needs. Reception staff were aware of the needs of the local community. Reception staff used digital flags within the care records system to highlight any specific individual needs, such as the requirement for longer appointments or for a translator to be present.

Staff checked people’s health, care, and wellbeing needs during health reviews. Clinical staff used templates when conducting care reviews to support the review of people’s wider health and wellbeing. The provider had effective systems to identify people with previously undiagnosed conditions.

The practice was supported by a social prescriber who attended practice meetings to ensure staff were knowledgeable about this role. Any member of staff, clinical or non-clinical, could refer patients to a social prescriber for people with social needs, such as those experiencing social isolation or housing difficulties.

The service planned and delivered people’s care and treatment with them, including what was important and mattered to them. They did this in line with legislation and current evidence-based good practice and standards.

We found care was not always provided in line with current guidance. We reviewed patients who had been prescribed 2 or more courses of rescue steroids in the last 12 months due to an exacerbation of asthma. We found these patients were not always followed up within 48 hours as per National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines. Instead, patients were asked to contact the practice if they felt their condition had not improved.

The service worked well across teams and services to support people. They made sure people only needed to tell their story once by sharing their assessment of needs when people moved between different services.

Staff had access to the information they needed to appropriately assess, plan, and deliver people’s care, treatment, and support. The practice worked with other services to ensure continuity of care, including where clinical tasks were delegated to other services.

The service supported people to manage their health and wellbeing to maximise their independence, choice and control. The service supported people to live healthier lives and where possible, reduce their future needs for care and support.

Feedback from patients was positive regarding lifestyle advice they had been given during consultations.

Staff focussed on identifying risks to patients’ health, including those in the last 12 months of their lives, patients at risk of developing a long-term condition and those with caring responsibilities. Staff supported national priorities and initiatives to improve population health, including stopping smoking and tackling obesity.

The service routinely monitored people’s care and treatment to continuously improve it. They ensured that outcomes were positive and consistent, and that they met both clinical expectations and the expectations of people themselves.

UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) data for the period of 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025 showed the practice had met the World Health Organisation (WHO) minimum recommendations for the uptake of 4 of 5 indicators relating to childhood immunisations. One indicator was below the minimum recommendation of 90%. This was the percentage of children aged 5 who had received 2 doses of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine where uptake was 81.5%.

To address the uptake of childhood immunisations, parents were encouraged to discuss concerns with clinical staff, and alerts remained on patient records so if parents changed their minds, children could receive vaccinations at a later date.

NHS England data from June 2024 showed the practice had not met the target for uptake of cervical cancer screening for eligible patients aged 25 to 49 years (68.3%) and eligible patients aged 50 to 64 years (76.7%). The target for both age groups was 80%.

To address the uptake of cervical screening, the practice was involved in a pilot study where home kits were offered to patients to carry out sampling themselves. Information signs and leaflets were available in the practice explaining the reasons why cervical screening is important. Patients with a learning disability were offered a home visit and all patients were given the opportunity to discuss concerns with a member of staff. Patients who had experienced sexual trauma could be referred to a specialist service where they were given support to access cervical screening.

The service told people about their rights around consent and respected these when delivering person-centred care and treatment.

Staff understood and applied legislation relating to consent. Capacity and consent were clearly recorded. Do not attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation (DNACPR) decisions were appropriate and were made in line with relevant legislation.