Parkside Medical Centre

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 in their care and treatment, and treated them with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.

At our last inspection we rated this key question Requires Improvement.
At this assessment, the rating has changed to Good.

This is because:

• Staff respected people's privacy and dignity and were able to respond to people's immediate needs.

• Some staff in the practice had specialist knowledge and experience to support veterans.
• Staff knew how they could help support people with a learning disability or autism.

• Feedback from care homes the practice supported was positive about the attitude of staff and the service.

• Most people felt involved in decisions about their care and treatment.

• There was a focus on staff wellbeing and enablement.

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.

Consultations with patients, telephone calls and discussions with other staff could not be overheard.

Staff told us how they promoted people's privacy and dignity.

There was a quiet room near the reception area that could be used if a patient needed privacy, for example for a discussion or to breastfeed.

Staff from care homes the practice supported described practice staff as generally approachable and helpful.

They said practice staff treated residents and care home staff professionally, respectfully and politely; with empathy, care and compassion; and with dignity. They described most staff took the time to help make sure residents felt listened to.

Training records showed all non-clinical staff had completed training in 'Customer Care'.

The practice shared with us feedback patients had submitted via the practice's website between February and April 2026. Generally, people were positive about staffs' attitudes, describing staff as polite, helpful, empathetic and kind.

However, the findings of the 2025 GP Patient Survey showed 71% of the people who responded to the survey said during their last appointment the healthcare professional was very good or fairly good at treating them with care and concern. This was below the local average of 81% and the national average of 86%.

 

The practice was an accredited ‘Veteran Friendly’ practice. The practice had a dedicated clinician who has specialist knowledge of service-related health conditions and Veteran specific health services.

Other local practices were aware of the expertise of one of the doctors at Parkside Medical Centre, and contacted them for advice and support when needed to help their patients. This doctor also did health talks for veterans and was involved in local charities and annual events for veterans who were patients of Parkside Medical Centre and beyond.

Since July 2022, there has been a legal requirement for providers to make sure their staff receive training to help them support autistic people and people with a learning disability. Training records showed all clinical and non-clinical staff had completed this training.

 

The findings of the 2025 GP Patient Survey showed:

• 85% of the people who responded to the survey said during their last appointment they were involved as much as they wanted to be in decisions about their care and treatment. This was in line with the local average of 89% and the national average of 91%.

• 82% said during their last appointment they had confidence and trust in the healthcare professional they saw or spoke to, compared with 90% locally and 93% nationally.

Care home staff reported feeling well supported by practice staff. They told us practice staff involved residents, their families and carers in decisions about the residents’ care and treatment.
 

The quiet room near the reception area was also used if a patient needed a quiet space to wait or if someone became agitated.

Care home staff told us practice staff acted promptly when needed, for example to make sure appropriate and up-to-date decisions about a patient's resuscitation status were clearly recorded and to help make sure residents nearing the end of life had what they needed to help remain comfortable.

They told us practice staff understood and respected the personal, cultural, social and religious needs of patients, for example responded promptly when a resident passed away so that an immediate burial or cremation could take place in line with the patient's and family's wishes.

Training records showed all staff, with the exception of doctors, had completed up-to-date training in conflict resolution.

 

The practice displayed posters and there was information on the practice's website informing people about the practice's 'zero tolerance' approach.

Practice leaders had taken steps to improve staff safety and security, including at the reception desk, and access to secure rooms or emergency exits throughout the building.

All staff knew how to seek help in an emergency, and the practice carried out drills of emergency procedures.

All staff who provided feedback for this assessment told us others in the practice were supportive of their health and wellbeing.

We observed staff supporting each other throughout this assessment, for example to help stay cooler during a spell of very hot weather and to respond to unexpected personal situations.

Staff were invited to various social events throughout the year, and felt the leadership team showed their appreciation of their work. The practice held ‘Friday Fundays’, where staff could join quizzes or races, for example.

There were places where staff could share wellbeing ideas and support.

Staff took part in 'Monday Movers', short exercise sessions at a set time on a Monday morning, and joined a Wednesday walking group.

Staff could share news within the practice and some staff from the practice were planning to attend a 'Health and Wellbeing Conference'.

There was a stable workforce. Some clinical and non-clinical staff who had left the practice for various personal reasons and did not intend to return, had gone back to work at the practice. One of these staff said they had returned because they had missed the supportive team.