Tynemouth Medical Practice

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 requires improvement. At this assessment, the rating has changed to Good.

We reviewed feedback from the most recent Friends and Family Test (FFT) results. Feedback was positive overall and highlighted satisfaction with the care and treatment received, A small number of comments highlighted areas for improvement, which the practice is actively working on as part of ongoing service development.

Feedback from the National GP Survey was mixed, with results in line with national and local averages, and some areas showing negative variation.

In addition, positive feedback was received through CQC’s Give feedback on care further demonstrating improving patient experience and satisfaction with the service.

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, compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. A private room was available if patients were distressed or wanted to discuss sensitive issues.

National GP Patient Survey data reflected most people felt listened to and were treated with kindness. Overall, 76% of respondents described their experience of this GP practice as good, which is comparable to the local average of 73% and the national average of 75%.

94% said they had confidence and trust in the healthcare professional they saw or spoke to during their last general practice appointment, which is above local average of 92%, national average of 93%. In addition, the practice also demonstrated a positive approach to holistic care. 72% of respondents said the healthcare professional they saw or spoke to was good at considering their mental wellbeing during their last general practice appointment. This reflects the local average of 72% and is close in line with the national average of 74%.

However, some results were below the national average; 79% of respondents said the healthcare professional they saw or spoke to was good at listening to them during their last general practice appointment which is below the national average of 87% and local average of 85%. 78% 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 is below the national average of 87% and local average of 84%.

The practice was aware of these results and had developed a patient satisfaction action plan to address areas for improvement, progress was monitored, and the practice had reported improvements alongside implementing changes to support this.

To improve continuity of care, the practice employed an additional three salaried GPs, reducing reliance on locum GPs. This was intended to better support patient clinician relationships and more consistent care.

The practice shared plans to introduction of an Artificial intelligence (AI) receptionist system to enhance call handling and signposting. Complaints and patient feedback were routinely reviewed, with learning shared with staff to improve communication, listening, and care delivery. These actions demonstrated the practice commitment to continuous improvement in patient satisfaction.

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.

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.

Patients’ personal, cultural, social, religious and equality characteristics needs were understood and met. Patient communication needs were met to enable them to be fully involved in their care.

Staff gave examples of how they use different communication methods for people to meet their individual needs, that included simplifying medical terms, using large print outs, and using text-based services and interpretation services.

The service promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing. People could access information on the service website to support them to make healthier choices.

Staff helped patients and their carers to access advocacy and community-based services. Staff told us how they made referrals to the care co-ordinator and social prescriber to support the independence of this group of people. Carers were offered longer appointments and were signposted to local support groups.

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. This allowed patients to submit consultation requests online or by telephone, enabling clinical staff to prioritise care based on urgency. Staff we spoke with knew the process for referral to emergency support, including mental health crisis teams.

The service cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred 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. They also carried out staff surveys to understand how staff were feeling and to identify any areas for improvement.

Ergonomic assessments were carried out where required, and the practice provided equipment to support staff comfort and safety, including height‑adjustable desks, back supports and footrests.

Staff were encouraged to raise concerns during staff meetings, annual appraisals and were aware of the whistleblowing policy.