Peartree 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 that the practice met people’s needs, and that 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 79 (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 was exceptional at making 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 2010. 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 provider held specific patient support groups, for example, smoking cessation. These were held twice weekly and there had been a 45% success rate. The provider was also recognised as a veteran and learning disability friendly practice. The provider had also contacted patients who had not responded to the bowel cancer screening test within the last 12 – 18 months. The provider maintained a tracker sheet to record patients who had requested a kit and one where a referral had been sent off. The provider also attended local car boots sales to raise Bowel cancer awareness. The provider had also held prostate awareness recall appointments. High risk patients were contacted based on ethnicity, gene/family history. The aim was to reach a 5 % improvement of treatment however the provider surpassed this reaching 7%. One of the GP partners had also been on local radio to promote prostate awareness.

The practice understood the diverse health and care needs of people and their local communities, so care was joined-up, flexible and supported choice and continuity. We saw the practice worked in partnership with other practices to meet the needs of its patient population. For example, the provider worked with the Integrated Care Board (ICB) and community groups to tackle health inequalities. The provider had a provision for regular drop-in blood pressure clinics to reach patients facing barriers to visiting the practice. Clinics were held at both sites to enhance accessibility.

The practice supplied appropriate, accurate and up-to-date information in formats that were tailored to individual needs. The practice had access to interpreter services, including British Sign Language. Information provided by the practice met the Accessible Information Standard. The NHS GP survey referred to 92% felt the healthcare professional they saw had all the information they needed about them during their last general practice appointment

The practice had a system in place for people to share feedback and ideas, or raise complaints about their care, treatment and support. They did not however always involve people in decisions about their care or tell them what had changed as a result. We found that complaints were not consistently managed in line with the practice’s own policy. For example, the policy states that investigations should be formally recorded with an appropriate level of detail, and that the investigator should review, organise, and evaluate the findings. However, the records reviewed contained only minimal information, with no clear timeline or evidence of investigative findings. Additionally, there was little evidence of learning being captured or shared from complaints.

The NHS GP Patient Survey reported that 82% of patients said the healthcare professional they saw or spoke to during their last appointment was good at listening to them.

The practice made sure that people could access the care, support and treatment they needed when they needed it. Patients we spoke with told us, “Staff were friendly and positive and they had never had any issues; the nurse was always caring and friendly and they had no problems getting appointments”. We looked at the practice’s appointment system and could see that patients were able to book appointments that suited their individual needs. This included face to face, telephone and online appointments. We saw that there were still appointments available that day for patients. The practice was able to offer extended appointments for people with a learning disability. All treatment rooms were available on the ground floor and an automatic door had been fitted to enable better access for people with reduced mobility.

Staff and leaders actively listened to 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. Feedback provided by people using the practice, both to the provider as well as to CQC, was positive. Staff treated people equally and without discrimination. Leaders proactively sought ways to address any barriers to improve people’s experience and worked with local organisations, including within the voluntary sector, to address any local health inequalities. Staff understood the importance of providing an inclusive approach to care and adjusted support equity in people’s experience and outcomes. The provider had processes to ensure people could register at the practice, including those in vulnerable circumstances such as homeless people and Travellers.

People were supported to plan for important life changes, so they could make informed decisions about their future, including at the end of their life. Our records review showed people were supported to consider their wishes for their end-of-life care, including cardiopulmonary resuscitation. This information was shared with other practices when necessary. The practice had a cancer care coordinator, and this provided good relationships with the district nurse team to ensure timely referrals for end-of-life care and medicines. The practice held an up-to-date palliative care register with Gold Standard Framework coding.