Inclusion Healthcare Social Enterprise CIC

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 Outstanding. At this assessment, the rating remains Outstanding.

The service fostered a strong culture of compassion, respect, and person-centred care, ensuring patients were treated with dignity and understanding, particularly those facing homelessness, asylum challenges, or complex health needs. Feedback from the National GP Patient Survey showed 89% of patients felt cared for and respected, surpassing local and national averages.

Patients described staff as kind, welcoming, and trustworthy, reflecting the strong relationships built within the community. Care was tailored to each person’s cultural, emotional, and social needs, with flexible and inclusive approaches such as opportunistic care and continuity for homeless patients. Overall, the service demonstrated a deeply compassionate and inclusive ethos, grounded in genuine engagement and respect for individual circumstances.

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 service was exceptional at treating people with kindness, empathy and compassion and in how they respected people’s privacy and dignity. Staff always treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect.

National GP Patient Survey data reflected people felt listened to and were treated with kindness, with 91% of patients saying they felt the clinician was good at listening to them during the last appointment, and 89% felt they were treated with care and concern.

All staff we spoke with demonstrated that patient care was person-centred. Each patient was treated as an individual, whatever their previous experiences or background, which ensured their care, support, and treatment met their needs and preferences.

We saw arrangements were in place to promote and protect patients’ privacy. The practice was mindful of patients’ religious, racial, and social backgrounds, making every effort to ensure they felt safe, respected, and well cared for. This approach was embedded throughout the patient journey—from initial registration through to discharge when patients moved to permanent accommodation or transferred to other practices.

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.

We found that patients were respected as individuals and empowered as partners in their care, which included both their medical needs and mental health needs, whatever their background.

The practice was exceptional in how they made sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences. The service took account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics. Staff displayed an understanding and non-judgmental attitude to all patients. Patient communication needs were met to enable them to be fully involved in their care. All appointments were at least 15 minutes to ensure there was adequate time for language translation and holistic care as well as the immediate clinical need.

As a practice team, the staff worked closely to ensure everyone’s appointment allowed the patient to progress in their access to health services to improve their physical, social and mental health. Staff would go out into the homeless community to ensure there was opportunity and awareness of the services available and provide an environment in which each appointment was used to cover as many of the patient's needs at that time, rather than relying on future appointments.

In the most recent GP Patient Survey, 92% of patients who responded reported that their needs were met during their last appointment. This is higher than both the national average (90%) and the local average (89%).

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

Staff could offer a range of alternatives to patients to meet their immediate needs, including emergency support and access to mental health crisis teams. People’s needs were usually managed on the day of contact with the practice. We found people were directed to the most appropriate person or service to meet their needs and ensure continuity of care where required.

Staff went to great lengths to make sure that people’s needs, views, and wishes were considered a priority in deciding a treatment plan. Staff helped patients and their carers to access advocacy and community-based services.

The service demonstrated exceptional attentiveness to individuals' needs, perspectives, and preferences. Staff consistently responded in real-time to patients’ needs, taking proactive steps to alleviate any discomfort, anxiety, or distress. All appointments were scheduled for a minimum of 15 minutes to ensure adequate time for meaningful engagement.

The on-site mental health team provided follow-up appointments for patients who required ongoing support, offering flexibility through both face-to-face and telephone consultations based on patient preference. Staff were often familiar with homeless patients, many of whom had been registered with the practice for an extended period. To promote continuity of care and enhance engagement, efforts were made to ensure these patients were seen by regular clinicians whenever possible.

An effective appointment triage system was in place, ensuring timely access for individuals with urgent needs. Staff demonstrated a clear understanding of referral pathways for emergency support, including access to mental health crisis intervention teams.

The service cared about and promoted the well-being of their staff and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care.

The practice held morning huddles before the start of clinics to facilitate the sharing of updates and discussion of any emerging issues. Staff reported that these meetings were valuable, particularly because they often spent the remainder of the day within their individual departments and had limited interaction with colleagues from other teams, such as nursing or mental health services. This limited contact was partly due to the layout of the building, which had been intentionally designed to streamline patient flow, ensuring individuals were seen in appropriate clinical areas, and to maintain a calm environment by separating the mental health reception from the main clinical spaces.

Staff told us they were valued by leaders. Leaders had taken steps to recognise and meet the well-being needs of staff, which included the necessary resources and facilities for safe working, such as regular breaks and rest areas. Staff reported being supported if they were struggling at work.