The Neaman Practice

On this page

• Overview
• Person-centred Care
• Care provision, Integration and continuity
• Providing Information
• Listening to and involving people
• Equity in access
• Equity in experiences and outcomes
• Planning for the future

We looked for evidence the service met people’s needs, and staff treated people equally and without discrimination. At our last assessment, we rated this key question as good. At this assessment, the rating remains the same.

This service scored 82 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

We did not look at Person-centred Care during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Responsive.

We did not look at Care provision, Integration and continuity during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Responsive.

We did not look at Providing Information during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Responsive.

We did not look at Listening to and involving people during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Responsive.

The service was exceptional at monitoring and improving access arrangements so that people could access the care, support and treatment they needed when they needed it.

The service performed better than or comparable to national averages in the results of the 2025 National GP Patient survey. This showed that people could access the service when they needed it in a way that suited their needs, such as by telephone, in person or through the services website. For example, 55% of respondents to the 2025 survey responded positively to how easy it was to contact the practice on the phone, compared to a national average of 53%. We also checked the most recently published 2026 National GP Patient survey results at the time of authoring this report. Results showed that 67% of respondents responded positively to how easy it was to contact the practice on the phone, compared to 55%locally and 57% nationally, demonstrating a positive and improving trend.

A total triage system was in place to help ensure patients were directed to the most appropriate service based on urgency and need. A range of appointment types were available, including face-to-face, telephone, and home visits were provided for those housebound or clinically too unwell to attend the surgery.

The practice had a proactive and data-driven approach to improving equitable access through patient engagement, Healthwatch feedback and ongoing analysis of access data. Healthwatch is the independent statutory champion for people who use health and social care services in England.

Staff told us the practice had very large proportion of people working during the daytime within its population, which aligned with unverified data that showed 88% of the practice patients were using the NHS app to access services, which the service had promoted and was higher than averages and the highest in the practice Primary Care Network (PCN). Following the implementation of its digital triage system in November 2024. Staff had undertaken an audit to monitor the outcomes. Unverified data showed a significant reduction in non-urgent appointments demand on phone access with incoming calls reduced by 40-45%, exceeding the practice initial target of 30%. Monthly call volumes fell from a peak of 5,134 in October 2024 to between approximately 2,500 and 3,200 in 2025. Answered call rates improved from around 63% to over 70% and missed calls reduced from approximately 20% to 10–13%. The data showed that appointment capacity had increased by 11%, with the incidence of patients not arriving for their appointment decreased, and same-day urgent was maintained through expanded telephone and digital consultations, while reducing waiting room times for those attending in person. This data indicated that the practice had modernised access arrangements while maintaining patient choice, improving resource allocation, and ensuring access routes were responsive to differing patient needs and preferences. Staff told us that reduced pressure on phone lines enabled patients with more urgent, complex or communication needs to access the practice more easily, whilst maintaining timely access for those whose needs were less urgent through alternative digital pathways.

We also noted that unverified data provided by the practice showed that staff made a relatively high use of specialist advice and guidance services, so that a greater proportion of patients could be treated at the practice and without the need or wait for a hospital referral and appointment. As a result, AE attendance and emergency hospital admissions data were both lower than local averages, indicating that patient need was more often being managed effectively by the practice, before hospital treatment was needed.

Leaders and staff were alert to issues of discrimination and inequality that could disadvantage different groups of people accessing services including digital exclusion, language needs and vulnerability and they adapted services accordingly. Reasonable adjustments were recorded on the practice’s clinical system. Appointment lengths were adjusted where needed, for example, for patients with learning disabilities or those requiring interpreters. Staff were trained in care navigation and triage to support timely access and appropriate signposting to other services.

The practice maintained a learning disability register to identify patients who may require additional support. Unverified practice data showed that 5 of 6 eligible patients aged 14 years and over on the learning disability register had received an annual learning disability health check and Health Action Plan, representing 83% uptake, which was above the Investment and Impact Fund (IIF) upper target of 80%. Staff told us the practice contributed to wider PCN improvement work for people with learning disabilities that had been recognised as good practice locally.

There was step-free access to all patient floors and accessible toilet facilities. Patients with mobility needs were permitted to park directly outside the practice. Staff considered patients’ sensory and communication needs and arranged interpreters, large-print information, hearing loop facilities and alternative patient-calling arrangements for patents where needed. A private room was available to meet a range of needs including privacy, prayer and emotional support and breastfeeding and baby changing facilities were available. There were arrangements to ensure people could register at the service, including those in vulnerable circumstances such as homeless people and Travellers.

The practice had achieved Autism Friendly, Dementia and HIV aware status or certification and arranged appropriate staff related training, and personalised adjustments to improve patient experience.

During our assessment the service leadership and team demonstrated an exceptional commitment to understanding and meeting individual needs, particularly for those at greater risk of experiencing health inequalities or poorer outcomes

The practice had a strong track record of commitment to community health initiatives, personalised care and addressing health inequalities. For example:

• The practice had identified that some patients with mental health needs did not meet the criteria for either NHS Talking Therapies or secondary care mental health services and were at risk of falling between services when they needed immediate and ongoing support. In response, one of the GP partners led an initiative to establish a partnership with a local university to provide an in-house psychotherapy service. This offered holistic psychological support, integrated within the practice environment including for patients such as those experiencing distress related to trauma, bereavement, relationship difficulties, work-related stress, housing insecurity, long-term health conditions, neurodiversity, and caring responsibilities. This provision had been created by proactive engagement and partnership working, and from within the practice’s own resource.
• A further GP Partner had led establishing an in-house dermatology service in response to increasing patient demand, longer secondary care waiting times and the needs of its population, including a relatively high proportion of older White ethnicity patients at increased sun damage and skin cancer risk. They took on a special interest in dermatology and had undertaken additional specialist training and qualifications to provide specialist dermatology clinics within the practice, without external funding. The service had subsequently been expanded in house to support a further GP specialist dermatology training and qualification, increasing provision. This enabled earlier assessment and monitoring of patent’s skin conditions, including identification of suspicious skin lesions, as well as management of chronic and benign dermatological conditions, closer to home. Staff told us this had improved continuity of care and reduced the need for hospital referrals.
• A further GP partner had delivered a community health education session focused on men’s health, including prostate cancer awareness, cardiovascular risk, diabetes prevention, cancer screening, smoking cessation, substance misuse, sexual health and mental wellbeing. The session also promoted local support services, including NHS Health Checks, smoking cessation support, dietetic services, exercise referral schemes, community navigation, in-house talking therapy and local sexual health services. This demonstrated an active role in health promotion, prevention and community engagement to encourage informed decision-making and access to specific support.
• A GP partner provided continuity of care for patients with frailty, complex needs and those approaching the end of life through a proactive patient screening and ensuring prompt home visits where needed. They undertook regular reviews, coordinated multidisciplinary support with health and social care professionals, and personally conducted follow-up visits wherever possible to ensure continuity of care. Unverified practice data showed that approximately 110–115 vulnerable or housebound patients were supported at any one time, and that 82% of palliative care patients had died in their preferred place of death.
• The practice had also set up an onsite ear irrigation service, and it provided a room for a podiatry toenail cutting service funded by the local authority, in response to unmet need.
• Staff actively contributed to a range of Primary Care Network (PCN) and wider community events to fulfil its community health and education needs including blood pressure and blood sugar checks, and to gather feedback about local health needs and access to care. The practice PCN had won multiple North East London Primary Care Workforce Awards in 2023, including recognition for Health Innovation and partnership working. This service provided support for social isolation, low mood, financial stress, housing concerns, a Male Isolation Group (“Get Together”) project led by a Social Prescriber, and PCN Health Fair, which received an Above Beyond Partnership Award. These services help patients access tailored support beyond traditional medical services and addressing wider health inequalities. As part PCN work, the practice hosted seated exercise sessions, coffee mornings, city walks, digital inclusion support and targeted health promotion events while actively referring patients to additional community-based activities delivered by partner organisations. Staff told us this supported older people, migrant communities, socially isolated patients and those affected by digital exclusion, helping to improve access and for those with limited health literacy, social connectedness and engagement with health and wellbeing services.
• The practice had established an Adult Wellbeing Coach role to support patients whose health and wellbeing were affected by wider social issues including housing instability, financial hardship, social isolation and mental health needs. This provided practical support to help vulnerable patients access appropriate benefits, services and resources, helping to reduce barriers to care and the risk of poorer outcomes.
• The practice had created a Homelessness and Long-Term Conditions Care Coordinator role. Unverified data showed that between April 2025 and March 2026, the service received 26 referrals, including 19 related to homelessness or housing needs and 7 related to long-term conditions. The role provided care coordination, advocacy and signposting to housing, legal, social care, mental health and community services, including 11 episodes of care coordination, 8 onward referrals, 3 crisis interventions, and support for 2 patients to secure temporary or permanent accommodation. This demonstrated a targeted approach to addressing wider determinants of health and reducing barriers to care for vulnerable patients and those at risk of poorer outcomes.

We also checked patient experiences and outcomes data and saw that it showed a positive and better than average trend.

The practice GP Patient Survey results indicated that its staff understanding and shaping of care in response to patients’ specific and individual needs, was higher than average. In 2025, 98% of patients said the healthcare professional had all the information needed about them, compared with 92% locally and 90% nationally. 98% said they were involved as much as they wanted to be in decisions about their care and treatment, compared with 88% locally and 91% nationally. In addition, 94% said their needs were met, compared with 87% locally and 90% nationally. These results were consistent with the practice FFT that results that showed 93% of its patients would recommend the practice. At the time of authoring this report, we also checked the recently published 2026 GP Patient Survey results and they were similarly positive.

In addition, feedback from 16 patients that we gathered as part of our assessment was, without exception positive across a range of population groups and health and communication needs. An Enter and View Report undertaken by Healthwatch in 2025 also found that clinicians had explained conditions and medications clearly to its patients, helping them understand and manage their health.

We did not look at Planning for the future during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Responsive.