Park Lane 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 requires improvement. At this inspection, we have rated the provider good overall, as the provider had made significant improvements since the previous assessment. People generally received person-centred care that reflected their needs and preferences. The practice worked effectively with partner organisations to provide coordinated care, delivered information in accessible formats and used feedback to improve services. Patients were supported to plan their future care and the practice made reasonable adjustments to promote equitable care. However, patient survey results indicated that some people continued to experience difficulties accessing the practice, particularly by telephone and when contacting the service.

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 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.

Care plans reflected physical, mental, emotional and social needs of patients including those related to protected characteristics under the Equality Act. Our review of clinical records showed patients were supported to understand their condition and were involved in planning for their care needs. They were also involved in decisions about their care.

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.

There were established mechanisms for engaging with the community healthcare provider for example the district nurses and health visitors. The practice worked closely with the PCN, community matrons, health visitors, school nurses, midwives, pharmacy teams and the Integrated Care Board (ICB). Staff participated in regular multidisciplinary meetings, including palliative care and medicines governance forums, to support coordinated care, shared learning and improved outcomes for patients. The practice had engaged positively with ICB quality improvement initiatives and Practice Level Support following our previous inspection.

The service supplied appropriate, accurate and up-to-date information in formats that were tailored to individual needs. They used alerts on patient records to identify and respond to individual needs, including people with learning disabilities, those living in supported accommodation and housebound patients.

Information provided by the service met the Accessible Information Standard. The practice had access to interpreter services. Patients were informed how to access their care records. The practice had recently introduced a patient newsletter, available on the practice website, which provided a range of updates for patients.

Staff had access to interpretation services when required and made reasonable adjustments for patients with communication needs, including supporting people who lip read or used communication applications. A hearing loop was available at reception to improve accessibility. Care navigators supported patients to access the most appropriate care and services, helping to ensure care was tailored to individual needs and circumstances.

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.

Information about how to complain was available on the practice website, as was information about the family and friends test as a way of providing feedback. Staff we spoke with were aware of how complaints, both clinical and non-clinical, were managed. We saw complaints were managed in line with the practice’s policy. Learning from complaints was shared at practice meetings. The Patient Participation Group received regular information on the number of complaints received and the type of complaint eg appointment related. The practice had received 22 complaints during the past 12 months. The most common themes related to 9 complaints relating to access and appointment availability and 7 relating to communication.

Other themes included prescribing and care planning arrangements, referral and paperwork handling and reception processes. Three complaints were partially upheld and informed service improvements. Actions included reviewing patient information about the total triage system and urgent care pathways, strengthening staff guidance on explaining clinician roles, referrals and follow-up arrangements, auditing referral and document-handling processes, as well as introducing contingency arrangements when the self-check-in system was unavailable. The practice demonstrated that complaints were analysed for themes, learning was identified and actions were implemented to improve patient experience and service delivery.

The practice also carried out its own patient survey noting trends over time and agreeing further action as a result.

The service did not always make sure that people could access the care, support and treatment they needed when they needed it.

The practice operated a total triage system in line with a national initiative implemented in October 2025. They encouraged patients to submit requests online; however, staff recognised that some patients may not be able to access or use online systems and provided support, including completing requests on behalf of patients at reception where required. The practice told us that triage could be temporarily restricted on occasions where this was necessary to manage patient safety and demand.

Patients were able to access a range of appointments, including same-day urgent appointments, routine appointments and appointments booked 1 to 2 weeks in advance. The practice also utilised a paramedic practitioner to manage minor illness presentations where appropriate. Access to nursing and phlebotomy appointments was available directly and did not require triage.

Staff told us urgent appointment capacity was determined by clinical availability on the day. A duty GP system operated in both the morning and afternoon, with the duty doctor reviewing and prioritising requests according to clinical need to ensure patients received timely care.

Patients could access enhanced access appointments through a hub service operating on Saturdays. The service was delivered collaboratively across the 4 practices within their local Primary Care Networks (PCNs), providing patients with additional appointment availability outside of the practice's core opening hours.

Results from the 2025 National GP Patient Survey showed that 37% of respondents found it easy to contact the practice by telephone. The 2026 National GP Patient Survey showed this had decreased slightly to 35%, compared with the England average of 57%. The 2025 National GP Patient Survey showed that 61% of respondents had a positive experience of contacting the practice. The 2026 survey showed a slight increase to 62%; however, this remained below the national average of 73%.

The practice’s own survey reported an improvement in various elements of patient access; for example, telephone access and appointment times. The practice offered extended appointments for people with a learning disability. The practice was Purple Star Accredited; a Hertfordshire accreditation system recognising services that demonstrated they had made reasonable adjustments for people with a learning disability. The practice was a dementia friendly and an armed forces veteran friendly accredited practice. Treatment rooms were available on the ground floor. Access to the practice was via a ramp and an automatic door.

Although the practice had implemented a range of measures to support equitable access, including reasonable adjustments for vulnerable groups, National GP Patient Survey results remained significantly below England averages for telephone access and for the overall experience of contacting the practice, indicating that barriers to access persisted for some patients.

Staff and leaders took account of 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 practice had an equality, diversity and inclusion summary setting out the importance of meeting individual needs and delivering services in line with the Equality Act 2010. The practice had a ‘no proof of address’ approach for those wishing to register with the practice for example homeless people. The practice made adjustments to meet the needs of its population for example those with a learning disability.

The practice offered annual health checks for people with a learning disability and unverified data reviewed at the practice demonstrated a much improved performance on the number undertaken compared to at the time of our last inspection in 2023. The practice had a dementia friendly room for use by those with dementia, designed to reduce anxiety and confusion, providing a calm and accessible space for consultations and discussions. The practice also had a carers champion designated within the staff team.

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.

The practice maintained a palliative care register and held regular multi-disciplinary meetings. The practice works with the community matron to ensure people at the end of their life were supported. Our review of 3 records showed people were supported to consider their wishes for their end-of-life care, including cardiopulmonary resuscitation. This information was shared with other services when necessary.