Drs T A Underwood & M A Thompson

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

People were treated with kindness, compassion and respect, and their privacy and dignity were maintained. Patients were involved in decisions about their care and felt their needs were met. Staff supported independence, responded appropriately to immediate needs, and were enabled through positive wellbeing and development arrangements to deliver person-centred care.

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.

Staff always treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity.

Arrangements were in place to promote patients’ privacy. The recent National GP Patient Survey results indicated 82% of the respondents felt that the healthcare professional they saw or spoke to was good at treating them with care and concern during their last general practice appointment, compared to the local average of 86%.

However, the practice has recently completed an internal patient experience survey that indicated the out of the 500 patients who responded, 75% felt the healthcare professional they saw was good or very good in treating them with care and concern.

Staff we spoke with understood Gillick competency and there was a process to ensure young adults had control over their own privacy and the amount of parental involvement in managing their care and support.

Staff treated people as individuals and made sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences. People’s communication needs were met and had access to interpreters and Language Line when required.

We noted the provider widely promoted a community wellness outreach programme in Reading which offered free health checks to patients through both prebooked appointments and walk-in access.Patients had flexible access to services including late evenings and Saturday appointments, supporting individual needs and accommodating work, caring, and education commitments.

Annual Learning Disability health checks were extended to 30 minutes to reduce anxiety and to promote dignity , independence and engagement.

A structured monthly MDT meeting was arranged with the GP's and a range of health care professionals which involved reviewing patients at higher risk including those with unplanned admissions.

The provider promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing. Independence and choice were supported through the practice’s systems, including triage processes that enabled patients to access appropriate appointments and self-book where suitable, alongside alternative routes to ensure people were not digitally excluded.

Staff helped patients and their carers to access advocacy and community-based services. The recent patient survey results for 2025 showed that 93% of respondents felt involved as much as they wanted to be in decisions about their care and treatment during their last general practice appointment compared to the national average of 91%.

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.

The new ‘Total Triage’ appointment system allowed patients to submit requests online or by telephone which enabled clinical staff to prioritise care based on urgency and need. Staff we spoke with knew the process for referral to emergency support, including mental health crisis teams. This was supported by a duty doctor model which provided real time clinical oversight of demand.

The recent National GP Patient Survey results indicated that 92% of respondents felt their needs were met at their last GP practice appointment, which was consistent with the local average of 91% and the national average of 90%

Emergency admission rates were lower than the local integrated care board average, which was attributed to structured multidisciplinary team review and coordinated care for patients at higher risk.

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

Staff told us they were valued by leaders. Leaders had taken steps to recognise and meet the wellbeing needs of staff, which included the necessary resources and facilities for safe working. There was a recent staff survey by the provider that identified strong positive feedback on teamwork and a friendly, supportive workplace.

We saw examples that practice supported staff to progress within the service. For example, a receptionist was supported to qualify as nurse, subsequently progressing into a clinical role within the practice. A number of other staff were supported to progress internally from reception roles into senior administrative positions within the practice.