Drs Lavin, Findlay, Remedios and Thompson Also known as Whiteacres Medical 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 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 meant people were supported and treated with dignity and respect; and involved as partners in their care.

This service scored 80 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

Leaders and staff always treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. Arrangements were in place to promote patients’ privacy. Staff used ‘do not enter’ signs on treatment doors to ensure people’s privacy during intimate examinations. Of the people who responded to the National GP Patient Survey 87% said the healthcare professional they saw or spoke with was good at listening to them during their last general practice appointment. Staff we spoke with understood Gillick competency 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 and support.

Staff 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. Peoples’ personal, cultural, social, religious and equality characteristics needs were understood and met. Staff recorded in the notes if people had specific communication needs to enable them to be fully involved 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 99%of people who responded were involved as much as they wanted to be in decisions about their care and treatment during their last general practice appointment. Staff helped patients and their carers to access advocacy and community-based services such as carers support organisations and social prescribing services.

Staff 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 which ensured people with immediate needs had access to services. Staff we spoke with knew the process for referral to emergency support and the actions to take if there was an emergency in the surgery.

Leaders demonstrated an exceptional commitment to staff wellbeing and created a culture where people felt highly valued and supported. Staff consistently told us they felt respected and appreciated by leaders. Leaders went above and beyond to recognise and respond to wellbeing needs, ensuring staff had access to resources and facilities which promoted safe and effective working. This included regular breaks and a spacious, comfortable rest area with outdoor access. Leaders provided thoughtful initiatives such as lunches during team meetings, funded reflexology sessions, and additional leave on staff birthdays. Staff described feeling fully supported when facing challenges, with leaders offering timely help and access to an external organisation for free, confidential advice. These actions reflected a strong, proactive approach to staff wellbeing, which contributed to the delivery of consistently high-quality, person-centred care.