Kingstone 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 practice involved people and treated them with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect. At our last assessment, we rated this key question as outstanding. At this assessment, the rating remains the same.

This service scored 90 (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 treating people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. Staff provided many examples of how they worked together to treat people with care and concern. For example, one of the GPs visited a patient at their house after they did not attend for their appointment for an ECG (electrocardiogram used to check someone's heart rhythm and electrical activity) and were not responding to calls. The patient required emergency support and the GP was able to provide this and call for assistance. National GP Patient Survey data reflected people felt listened to and were treated with kindness. For example, 94% of respondents stated that during their last appointment, the healthcare professional was very good or fairly good at listening to them. This was better than the local and national averages. Patients provided many examples of how kind and empathetic staff always were and how they had gone out of their way to support them. One patient told us how their family member was supported by the GP to complete a ReSPECT form to ensure they could maintain their dignity during their end of life care. Another patient told us the GP contacted them directly about their test results to reassure them and visited their family member out of hours when they were near the end of their life to provide support. Another patient told us how supportive and caring the GP was when their child needed an urgent appointment. They were offered an appointment and were provided with reassurances of their support, including offering them another appointment the following morning to check on their child.

The practice treated people as individuals and was exceptional in how they made sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences. Staff treated people as individuals and were able to describe adjustments they made to enable them to be fully involved in their care. For example, they had access to an interpreter and longer appointments were available for patients who required them. Leaders told us they considered they considered patients as a whole. National GP Patient survey data reflected this as it showed 90% of people said thehealthcare professional they saw or spoke to was good at considering their mental well-being during their last general practice appointment. This was better than both local and national averages.Feedback we received from patients supported this and showed that they were treated as individuals and were involved in their care and treatment. For example, one patient told us they attended the practice for a blood test and the clinician listened to their concerns and were able to make the procedure less stressful by using a different type of needle. The patient told us they appreciated the clinician meeting their needs and preferences. Patients told us clinicians allowed time for discussion and individual needs were taken into account when determining appropriate care. Leaders provided many examples to support this. For example, they adjusted their approach to encourage a patient with a learning disability to attend the practice for an appointment and now the patient regularly attends.

The practice promoted people’s independence and supported them to make decisions about their care, treatment and wellbeing. They provided patients with information and guidance to enable them to make informed decisions about their care. This was reflected in the positive feedback we received from patients who told us they felt supported when making choices about their care, treatment and wellbeing.

The practice was exceptional in how they listened to and understood people's needs, views and wishes.Staff responded to people’s needs in the moment and acted to minimise any concern or distress. The practice appointment system ensured people with immediate needs had access to services. Feedback from patients who used the service reported positive experiences with prompt responses to appointment requests. One patient told us they received an appointment on the day and were immediately told to go to AE and were provided with a letter by the GP to facilitate them into another waiting area to avoid having to wait to be triaged. The patient told us they appreciated being listened to and understood by the GP. National GP Patient survey data showed that 82% of peoplefelt they waited about the right amount of time for their last general practice appointment. This was higher than the local and national averages. Leaders provided many examples of how they responded to people's immediate needs. For example, a receptionist highlighted concerns when a patient attended the practice multiple times to collect a medication. This resulted in a clinical follow up and a referral to a dementia specialist. Staff we spoke with knew the process for referral to emergency support.

The practice cared about and prompted the wellbeing of their staff and supported and enabled staff to deliver person-centred care. Staff told us they felt valued by leaders. Leaders had taken steps to recognise and meet the wellbeing needs of staff. For example, they had organised psychology supervision sessions for non-clinical staff to attend. Staff responded positively to this idea and leaders told us they were considering having these regularly. Staff we spoke with told us they enjoyed working in the practice and felt supported.