Eastgate 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 80 (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 and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. Feedback from people who used the service was consistently positive about the way staff treated people. Care home representatives described staff as kind and compassionate and told us staff took time to engage with residents during visits. Relationships between staff and people using the service were described as caring, respectful and supportive.

During the site visit we observed staff to be friendly and helpful with people at the reception desk and when supporting people by telephone. Arrangements were in place to promote people’s privacy. Patient consultations were held in private consulting rooms with curtains and privacy screens to maintain confidentiality and personal dignity. Consideration of people’s privacy and dignity was embedded throughout the delivery of care and support.

The service recognised the impact loneliness can have on older people's wellbeing and implemented a Christmas card initiative for patients aged 85 years and over. Cards were handwritten by staff and sent to help reduce social isolation during the festive period. This demonstrated the importance staff placed on people’s emotional and social wellbeing, recognising these needs as being as important as people’s physical health. People responded positively, with many contacting the service to express their appreciation and describe how valued the gesture made them feel.

The 2025 National GP Patient Survey data reflected people felt listened to and were treated with kindness. For example, 93% of people said that the healthcare professional they saw was good at listening to them during their last appointment. This was above the local average of 83% and national average of 87%. In addition, they also felt they were treated with kindness. For example, 96% said that the healthcare professional they saw was good at treating them with care and concern. This was compared to the local average of 81% and national average of 86%. Feedback we received from CQC ‘Give Feedback on Care’ also reflected these findings. These findings, together with feedback received through CQC ‘Give Feedback on Care’, demonstrated that people consistently experienced caring and compassionate interactions with staff.

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 had policies to support staff in this area.

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

Staff undertook training to improve their knowledge and understanding of how to support people. For example, staff had completed training on equality and diversity, and learning disability and autism awareness training relevant to their role. Support was also available for people with caring responsibilities.

Staff and leaders told us that people’s individual needs and preferences were understood and reflected in their care, treatment and support. Staff also gave examples of reasonable adjustments in place for people, for example longer appointments, ensuring people with accessibility needs had their appointments in consultation rooms on the lower floor, and using translation services. The service offered a quiet area for people to sit whilst waiting for their appointments if they felt anxious waiting.

The 2025 National GP Patient Survey data showed that 91% of people said that they were involved as much as they wanted to be in decisions about their care and treatment. This was in line with the local (89%) and national (91%) averages. In addition, 97% of respondents said they had confidence and trust in the healthcare professional they saw, which was above local and national results.

People’s personal, cultural, social, religious and equality characteristics needs were understood and met. Communication needs were met to enable people to be fully involved in their care. Leaflets were available in other languages, and the service website could also be changed to other languages and had accessibility features, such as larger fonts and contrast, to support those with difficulties.

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

Staff supported people to make informed decisions about their care and treatment and worked with their carers where appropriate. They also helped people and their carers to access advocacy and community-based services when needed.

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. Feedback from people who used the service said that clinical and non-clinical staff were responsive to their questions and requests.

There was a process for appointment triage that ensured people with immediate needs had access to services. Staff we spoke with knew how to refer to emergency support, including mental health crisis teams.

Staff knew how to respond to people’s immediate needs and how to recognise when urgent help or support was required. Staff told us about systems and training in place to support this, which included guidance and training on sepsis, the use of an alert button on the computer system, and the availability of emergency medicines and equipment. The practice had a duty doctor available every day to respond to people’s immediate needs, review urgent requests and provide support as necessary.

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. Staff described positive and supportive working relationships within the team. Leaders were described as ‘visible’, ‘approachable’, ‘supportive’ and ‘responsive’. There was an open-door culture where any member of the team could approach any manager for support, advice and guidance.

All staff who provided feedback to us reported that they felt able to raise concerns and believed that issues would be acted upon. Staff gave examples of feedback that had led directly to change, including increasing administration time, improved appointment systems, additional staff wellbeing initiatives, and better workload allocations.

Staff were given protected time for training and additional responsibilities, ensuring they had the capacity and support to develop their skills and fulfil their roles effectively.

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 lone working and home visit arrangements. The practice displayed zero‑tolerance posters and had arrangements in place to support staff safety. There were systems for staff to request assistance in the event of an emergency, and some staff had received training in de‑escalation techniques.

Staff reported feeling supported if they were struggling at work. They had access to an employee assistance programme and external HR support to help with their wellbeing and professional needs. Staff gave examples of how leaders supported flexible working arrangements to meet personal and family needs, such as adjusting working patterns for health needs and caring responsibilities.

Staff also described positive peer support and good working relationships, with regular social events occurring. The service promoted communication and engagement through a staff newsletter, which encouraged feedback, highlighted staff birthdays and included a “get to know your peers” section to support team relationships.

Some staff also told us how the service had supported them to develop in their roles and encouraged them to gain new skills and achieve additional qualifications by providing training and development opportunities.