Ball Tree Surgery

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 service treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. Staff treated colleagues with kindness and respect.

The National GP Patient Survey (2025) results indicated that people were treated with kindness. Results showed that 91%of respondents found the reception and administrative team helpful (compared to 83% nationally). Additionally, 88% reported that the healthcare professional they saw or spoke to was good at treating them with care and concern during their last general practice appointment (compared to 86% nationally).

The service was clear about their duty to respect people’s privacy and there was a process to ensure young adults had control over their own privacy and the amount of parental involvement in managing their care. The service provided information about this on their website.

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

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

We saw clear evidence of effective teamwork between different professionals, with care plans in place for people with more complex needs. These plans were developed and reviewed with the involvement of people and their families. The service had a designated advanced nurse practitioner, who worked with people experiencing frailty to provide continuity and liaise with other services to help people maintain their independence and control.

The service liaised with private healthcare providers where appropriate, when people had chosen to use these alternative services. For example, for specialist diagnosis, consultations or surgical procedures.

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 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 the mental health crisis team.

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

Leaders planned staffing levels with consideration of staff wellbeing and work/life balance. They 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, rest areas and reasonable adjustments.

Staff told us they were valued by leaders and there was a supportive and inclusive working culture. Several members of staff told us independently about the positive impact of receiving training on ‘mental health first aid’. This training helped the administrative team to support each other with the day-to-day pressures and stress of working in a busy general practice. Team building, sports and social events were established in the staff team.