Drs Dawes, Narasimhan and Spiller

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.

There was a culture of kindness and respect within the practice. The practice was accredited veteran friendly and treated people with empathy, compassion and respected their privacy and dignity.

Arrangements were in place to promote patients’ privacy. National GP Patient Survey data reflected people felt listened to and were treated with kindness. For example:

• 90% of respondents said the healthcare professional they saw or spoke to was good at treating them with care and concern during their last general practice appointment, which was higher than with the local average of 82% and higher than the national average of 86%
• 92% said the healthcare professional they saw or spoke to was good at listening to them during their last general practice appointment, which was higher than the local average of 84% and higher than the national average of 87%.
• 96% of people found reception and administrative team helpful, which was higher than the local average of 79% and higher than the national average of 83%.

Positive feedback was also reflected in the patient feedback we received from our Give Feedback on Care process and those patients we spoke to on the day of our assessment who told us staff were kind, friendly and supportive.

Arrangements were in place to promote patients’ privacy. Chaperones were available and privacy curtains were in all clinical rooms. During the site visit, we observed staff being helpful and polite to patients.

The practice had a structured process in place to support bereaved families and followed up patients or carers to provide signposting and facilitate access to further emotional or practical support services.

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.

Systems were in place to make sure patients were treated in ways that suited them. Individual preferences were noted on the patient record. The practice made reasonable adjustments for patients with disabilities and offered interpreting and translation services. Staff we spoke with were aware of the needs of the practice’s population and gave us examples on how they supported patients. For example, following feedback, the practice had created a sensory friendly box to help patients feel more comfortable and better able to engage with their appointment. We also saw feedback from a patient describing how the practice had made reasonable adjustments during their appointment to take the individual’s needs into account to improve access to their care.

Results from the National GP Patient Survey indicated that 80% of patients felt the healthcare professional they saw or spoke to was good at considering their mental wellbeing during their last general practice appointment, which was higher than the local average of 71% and higher than the national average of 74%.

The service promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing.

Staff helped patients and their carers to access advocacy and community-based services. The people we spoke with on the day of the onsite assessment told us they felt included in decisions about their care and treatment.

The people we spoke with on the day of the onsite assessment told us they felt included in decisions about their care and treatment.

National GP Patient Survey data found:

• 94% of respondents were involved as much as they wanted to be in decisions about their care and treatment during their last general practice appointment, which was above the local average of 90% and above the national average of 91%
• 97% of the respondents felt the healthcare professional they saw had all the information they needed about them during their last general practice appointment, which was above the local average of 91% and above the national average of 92%
• 97% had confidence and trust in the healthcare professional they saw or spoke to during their last general practice appointment, which was above the local average of 91% and above the national average of 93%.

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 knew how to respond when a patient needed urgent attention and knew the processes to follow to ensure emergency support was given. We reviewed staff training files and found that staff were up to date with their Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), anaphylaxis and sepsis training.

The results of the GP National Patient Survey showed that 93% of patients knew what the next step would be after contacting their GP practice which was higher than the local average of 79% and national average of 83%.

93% of patients felt their needs were met during their last appointment, which was higher than the local average of 88% and above the national average of 90%.

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

The practice conducted regular staff surveys to understand staff experience, identify issues and drive improvements. Results from the most recent survey showed that 75% of staff felt the practice had a positive impact on their health and wellbeing, and 100% reported feeling valued at work, having flexibility in their working pattern, and feeling safe and secure in the working environment.

Leaders had taken steps to recognise and meet the wellbeing needs of staff, providing appropriate resources and facilities to support safe and healthy working, including access to regular breaks and designated rest areas. A staff suggestion box was also available to encourage ideas and continuous improvement.