Dr V Paramanathan's Practice

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 the service met people’s needs, and staff treated people equally and without discrimination. At our last assessment, we rated this key question as good. At this assessment, the rating remains the same.

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.

We did not look at Person-centred Care during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Responsive.

We did not look at Care provision, Integration and continuity during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Responsive.

We did not look at Providing Information during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Responsive.

We did not look at Listening to and involving people during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Responsive.

The service made sure people could access the care, support and treatment they needed when they needed it.

The service performed better than the national average in the results of the 2025 National GP Patient Survey. This showed people could access the service when they needed it in a way that suited their needs, such as by telephone, in person or through the service’s website. For example, 84% of respondents to the survey described their overall experience of contacting this service as being good, compared to a national average of 70%.

Feedback from the friends and family test was predominantly positive, with people praising staff and the service. However, quantitative results remained below the service’s 90% target. Common areas of concern included waiting times and the new telephone triage system. In response to feedback from people who used the service, staff had made changes to improve access. This included introducing additional administrative and catch-up slots for clinicians to manage outstanding work and reduce waiting times for people.

The service had recently introduced an artificial intelligence tool, which transcribed people’s messages and supported the initial online consultation and triage process. Feedback indicated that some people found the number of questions frustrating, particularly for clinical queries. The service was working with manufacturer to tailor the questions and planned to continue monitoring the system before determining its longer-term use.

The service also reviewed online triage requests alongside telephone data. It found that online requests remained a significant access route, with 1,758 requests from 1,209 patients in May 2026. Although demand had reduced from the month before, use of the online consultation and triage service remained high. The review indicated that remaining telephone demand may be more complex and highlighted the need to align telephone capacity and staffing with demand, particularly at peak times.

Treatment rooms were available on the ground floor, and a ramp had been fitted to the entrance to ensure ease of access to the service. The entrance door was not automatic. The service had displayed a sign advising people that staff could provide assistance if required. Staff were aware of the need to monitor the entrance and provide assistance to anyone who may experience difficulty accessing the building.

The service provided care to residents of 2 local care homes. Care home staff reported that they could easily contact the service for routine and urgent queries by telephone and email and received prompt responses. They could also contact regular GPs directly when required. Where procedures could not be provided at the care home, the service arranged appointments at the surgery and provided transport where required.
 

Staff and leaders actively listened to information about people who were most likely to experience inequality in experience or outcomes. They tailored their care, support and treatment in response to this.

Staff treated people equally and without discrimination. Leaders proactively sought ways to address any barriers to improving people’s experience and worked with local services, including within the voluntary sector, to address any local health inequalities. Staff understood the importance of providing an inclusive approach to care and made adjustments to support equity in people’s experience and outcomes. Staff followed processes to ensure people could register at the service, including those in vulnerable circumstances such as homeless people and Travellers. Staff used systems to capture and review feedback from people who used the service, which included those who did not speak English or have access to the internet.

The service had arrangements in place to support people with communication needs. Staff spoke a range of languages reflective of the patient demographic, and translation services were available. Additional support was provided for people who were deaf or hard of hearing, including interpreters and video appointments arranged in advance. The service had ordered a hearing loop prior to our assessment and subsequently provided evidence that it had been delivered.

We did not look at Planning for the future during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Responsive.