Abbey Surgery

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 75 (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 made sure people could access the care, support and treatment they needed when they needed it.

The service performed better than the national average in the results of the 2026 National GP Patient Survey in relation to accessing the service. This showed 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 service’s website. For example, 82% of respondents to the survey described their overall experience of contacting this service as being good, compared to a national average of 73%. The percentage of respondents who responded positively to how easy it was to contact the service on the phone was 73%, compared to the national average of 57%.

The service had oversight of the appointment system and were able to review and adjust appointments in line with people’s needs. Appointment types and availability was reviewed on a regular basis to meet the needs of people who used the service. A total triage system was used, and clinicians reviewed requests and allocated an appointment either face to face or via a telephone consultation with the most appropriate member of staff. The service aimed for continuity of care with a person’s usual GP when possible and relevant.

Practice nurses saw people for conditions such as diabetes and respiratory conditions, as well as providing wound care. Reception staff had a check list with conditions that practice nurses were able to provide care and treatment for. People were given support to use online consultation system.

The service was participating in an extended access scheme to provide extended hours appointments outside of the usual GP opening hours. This included appointments at the service and other GP practices in the primary care network (PCN) during the evenings and Saturday mornings. (A PCN is a group of GP services that work together with other local health and social care organisations to provide integrated services for their communities.) All these appointments needed to be pre-booked. Information on when consultations would be held at the service was available on their website or by checking with the individual service.

Treatment rooms were available on the ground floor; there was level access at both the main location and branch site to ensure ease of access to the service. The service was looking at the feasibility of having a lift installed at the main site to enable access to the first floor where external services were based, such as counselling and mental health support. When needed, consulting rooms were arranged on the ground floor to enable people to access these services. Accessible toilet facilities were available at both the main and branch sites.

Staff and leaders actively listened to information about people who were most likely to experience inequality in experience or outcomes. They tailored their care, support and treatment in response to this.

Staff treated people equally and without discrimination. Leaders proactively sought ways to address any barriers to improving people’s experience and worked with local services, including within the voluntary sector, to address any local health inequalities. For example, the service worked with their local PCN to tailor services for people with mental health conditions. These included morning sessions hosted by the service for adults needing support with their mental health; and sessions at a local primary school for children.

The service also worked with the local hospital to develop a virtual ward for older frail people to reduce unplanned hospital admissions. (A virtual ward is where people can receive hospital-level care, monitoring, and treatment in their own homes or care settings.) Citizen’s Advice Bureau staff and local drug and alcohol services were based at the main site. The service also worked with the voluntary sector to support veterans. Support included connecting with government, charities, and health programmes; financial aid, mental health resources, practical advice, peer networks, and employment/housing assistance. This enabled people who used the service to access support from other services in a more efficient and timely way.

Staff understood the importance of providing an inclusive approach to care and made adjustments to support equity in people’s experience and outcomes. For example, extended appointments for people who may need extra time and support. Staff followed processes to ensure people could register at the service, including those in vulnerable circumstances such as homeless people and Travellers. Staff used systems to capture and review feedback from people who used the service, which included those who did not speak English or have access to the internet. This was reflected in the feedback shared from people who used the service, which was positive.

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.