Leicester Terrace Health Care 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 that the service involved people and treated them with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.

At our last assessment, we rated this key question as outstanding. At this assessment, the rating has changed to good. We looked for evidence that the service involved people and treated them with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect. The practice had an active Patient Participation Group (PPG), which the practice routinely approached for feedback on the services they provided. We found the practice was providing a caring service overall.

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 service always treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. We saw staff treated patients with kindness and respect and maintained patient and information confidentiality.

The partners and staff at the practice worked collectively to provide high quality person-centred care. The GP patient survey showed that 84% of the respondents stated that during their last appointment, the healthcare professional was very good or fairly good at treating them with care and concern. This is slightly below the expected average of 86.9%, however, feedback received by CQC from patients who used the service was positive overall. The Friends and Family Test, showed people were satisfied with services. Between April 2024 and March 2025, the practice received 935 responses, with 80% of patients stating they were likely or extremely likely to recommend the service to others. A small proportion of responses were neutral or negative, and managers reviewed these carefully to identify areas for improvement.

The service treated people as individuals and made sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences. They took account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics.

We found that the practice ran a project for patients with mental health need. which was tailored to meet the diverse and complex needs of patients with mental health needs. The project aimed to improve the uptake of annual physical health checks for patients with and ensure equitable access by targeting under privileged populations. The number of patients engaging with the health check and receiving all physical health checks increased by 16%. This improvement meant more people benefited from timely monitoring of their physical health, supporting early intervention, safer care, and better management of long-term conditions. Furthermore, the PCN’s contributions towards service developments and training of the wider Northamptonshire team helped achieve increased engagement across the county with a 12.9% increase within the PCN and 12.5% across the county.

Within the practice there was a carer’s board and a carer’s information pack established for patients who identify as carers through the patient registration process. We found that the practice also had a community based integrated care model designed to support older people with frailty. This ensured that older people were happy, healthy and able to maintain their independence and supported to reside in a place of their choice including at the end of life.

The service provided clear, accessible health information through posters, leaflets, and their website, which also outlined how to request materials in alternative formats or access interpreter support. The building was equipped with features such as disabled access and hearing loops to meet a range of accessibility needs. Staff were attentive to the diverse cultural, social, and religious backgrounds of patients, adapting care accordingly. The practice demonstrated an awareness of its multicultural population through posters and leaflets displayed in the waiting area. The PPG actively engaged with different community groups to promote awareness of available services. Communication needs were well supported, enabling patients to participate fully in their care.

The service promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing. National GP Patient Survey data showed that 82.2% 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, which is below the national average of 85.6%. Staff respected the choices and decisions people made. The service displayed posters and leaflets containing information to support people to make healthier choices. The practice website detailed how to access information in alternative formats such as large print, easy read, audio recording or braille or if an interpreter or advocate was required. The service had disabled access and hearing loops.

The service 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.

There was a system for appointment triage that ensured people with immediate needs had access to services. Staff we spoke with knew the process for referral to emergency support, including mental health crisis teams. The service was responsive to people’s immediate needs. Leaders told us they regularly reviewed staffing to ensure there were enough clinicians to meet the needs of people.

The practice launched a Long-term Condition Wellbeing Support programme which provided long-term, structured wellbeing support for patients with physical health conditions and significant social or emotional barriers. Leaders also told us that following a decline in cervical screening uptake they implemented a targeted intervention of using a questionnaire to explore reasons for non- attendance, including anxiety, difficulty finding suitable appointments and overseas testing. As a result, 141 cervical screenings were completed, and 74 the following month which was a significant increase compared to the usual monthly average of 58. This demonstrated clear impact on uptake, improved population health coverage, and reduced risk for patients who were previously overdue.

We reviewed a random sample of staff training records and saw all staff had appropriate training in emergency procedures such as fire and basic life support. Staff understood the emergency procedures and their role in them. The practice held regular fire drills.

Leaders cared about and consistently promoted the wellbeing of their staff. Leaders told us staff wellbeing was at the heart of the culture within the practice and that a healthy, supported team was essential to delivering high quality patient 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, such as regular breaks and rest areas. Staff reported being supported if they were struggling at work. We saw team building events such as at practice learning days were well established within the practice. Leaders identified reduced staff wellbeing and increased sickness levels, prompting a proactive review of how best to support the team. Before launching the wellbeing programme, the practice had already invested in staff mental health by employing a local psychologist to provide one to one wellbeing sessions for colleagues experiencing particularly difficult personal or work circumstances. Several staff members accessed and benefited from this confidential support until the psychologist’s retirement.

Staff told us their health and wellbeing were considered, promoted, and supported by leaders. Social events were organised by the practice team where the Staff Wellbeing Lead introduced a structured programme of regular wellbeing activities alongside the usual summer and Christmas social events. Leaders told us staff were trained in multiple roles to allow cross-cover for annual leave and staff sickness and to facilitate a more effective service for patients. Flexible and hybrid working was utilised by clinicians who undertook some administrative tasks, training, and telephone clinics from home. Leaders told us they also tried to support flexible working hours for staff where possible.