East Park Medical Centre - R P Pandya

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 that the service involved people and treated them with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect. 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.

The practice demonstrated a culture of kindness and respect within the practice. 83% respondents to the National GP Patient Survey felt they were treated with care and concern during their last appointment; this was in line with the local average and lower than the national average of 86%. The practice treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. Staff demonstrated an understanding of patients' cultural and religious needs and took action to respond to these appropriately. For example, where a patient's faith required funerals to take place promptly following death, the practice prioritised the timely completion of relevant processes and documentation to support the wishes of the patient and their family. The practice took a compassionate approach to supporting bereaved families. Staff contacted relatives to offer their condolences and signposted them to relevant support where needed.

Arrangements were in place to promote patients' privacy and confidentiality. Reception staff understood the importance of maintaining patient confidentiality and were able to provide access to a private area for discussions involving sensitive or personal information. Staff were chaperone trained to maintain patient privacy during intimate examinations.

The practice treated people as individuals and made sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences. Personal, cultural, social, religious and equality characteristic needs were understood and met. Systems were in place to make sure patients were treated in ways that suited them. Individual preferences including reasonable adjustments were noted in the patient record to ensure individual needs were met. For example, a longer appointment was available if required. The practice had identified 66 carers and was proactively working to identify additional carers. Staff worked closely with the primary care network and were able to refer carers to the social prescriber, ensuring they received appropriate support, advice, and access to local services.

The practice promoted people’s independence and supported them to make decisions about their care, treatment and wellbeing. They provided patients with information and guidance to enable them to make informed decisions about their care.Staff provided examples of how they supported people to make informed decisions about their care, treatment and wellbeing, ensuring they had choice and control over the support they received. National GP Patient Survey data showed that 90% of the respondents felt involved as much as they wanted to be in decisions about their care and treatment during their last general practice appointment, this was in line with the national average.

The practice listened to and understood people’s needs, views and wishes. Staff responded promptly to people’s needs and took appropriate action to minimise discomfort, anxiety, or distress. Staff demonstrated an understanding of how to recognise when a patient required urgent intervention and followed established procedures to ensure timely access to emergency support. Staff were up to date with their basic life support training and sepsis awareness. The practice operated a triage system that ensured patients requiring urgent medical assessment were identified promptly and reviewed on the same day.

The practice cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff. Leaders told us they valued their colleague’s wellbeing. Staff reported having an open and supportive work environment. Leaders recognised the importance of maintaining a healthy work-life balance by monitoring workload and staffing pressures, encouraging breaks and teamwork. Regular meetings provided an opportunity to check in with colleagues, ensuring concerns were listened too and any issues that may impact workload or wellbeing were addressed promptly. Staff spoke positively about their wellbeing and the support they received from the practice. This was reflected in the practice's strong staff retention, with some members of staff having worked at the practice for more than 30 years.