Lowther Medical Centre

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 that the service met people’s needs, and that staff treated people equally and without discrimination.

At our last assessment, we rated this key question as requires improvement. At this assessment, the rating has changed to good.

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.

The service made sure people were at the centre of their care and treatment choices and they decided, in partnership with people, how to respond to any relevant changes in people’s needs.

According to the GP Patient Survey carried out between January and March 2024, 88% of patients felt they were involved as much as they wanted to be in decisions about their care and treatment and 90% felt their needs were met during their last visit.

North Cumbria Primary Care Alliance developed a centralised Patient Experience Team to activelyengage with patients, families, and carers, supporting personalised care, addressing concerns early, and improving continuity. The team also identified learning from complaints, feedback, and incidents to enhance processes and care outcomes.

The practice adopted a proactive model for chronic disease reviews, offering comprehensive 30-minute appointments during which patients received all necessary assessments, followed by medication reviews by pharmacists and GPs. This served as an annual health check, supported holistic management of long-term conditions, and reduced reliance on acute access and telephone consultations.

A representative from the Patient Participation Group (PPG) reported a positive experience working with the practice to improve the quality of care and services for patients. The representative advised that they had been monitoring access to appointments, particularly issues with the telephone system. They observed the rollout of online e-consult forms and triaging, as well as the newly installed telephone system with a patient call-back feature, both aimed at addressing access-related concerns.

The practice tailored its services to meet the diverse needs of the community by building relationships with local groups and engaged in social prescribing initiatives.

The service had an exceptional understanding of the diverse health and care needs of people and their local communities, so care was joined-up, flexible and supported choice and continuity.

The practice worked in collaboration to implement several social prescribing initiatives aimed at improving community support and patient well-being. The Welcome Hub, originally established as a warm space to assist those experiencing fuel poverty, evolved into a community support centre. Feedback revealed that visitors were primarily experiencing social isolation rather than fuel poverty. The "Sing for Joy" group, designed for people living with dementia and their carers, began as a 6-month pilot. Due to its positive impact, the initiative was extended for an additional year after securing further funding.

In addition to these initiatives, the practice contributed to the development of Hope Haven, a planned 24/7 mental health support service. The practice collaborated to align social prescribing with the project's objectives, aiming to ensure that patients would have access to comprehensive mental health care. They also maintained regular multidisciplinary meetings with the hub’s mental health team. The wellness team maintained strong links with mental health services to address the mental health needs and social deprivation in the Whitehaven area.

The practice played a role in raising awareness about social prescribing by delivering a presentation to the Sellafield Wellbeing Network,which was attended by approximately 30 individuals. The network focuses on supporting the health and wellbeing of Sellafield Ltd employees. Future collaboration with the network was planned.

The team was actively involved in organising the annual Social Prescribing Day, which featured around 50 stalls and attracted over 1,800 attendees. The event offered valuable information on available services and provided family-friendly activities that engaged the community.

Early planning was underway with West Lakes College to deliver a social prescribing session during their Wellbeing Week. The session would be aimed at students preparing to leave college, focusing on how Social Prescribing could support their health and wellbeing as they transition into adulthood.

The Patient Participation Group (PPG), in collaboration with Cancer Champions, facilitated an interactive stall in the surgery foyer. This included educational materials, support resources, and tactile tumour models to increase awareness and engagement on cancer-related issues.

Care home practitioners were assigned to specific aligned care homes, where they worked closely with district nurses and care home staff to support continuity of care, while also maintaining direct links with GPs. One project involved a care home nurse who provided training and support to carers, with the aim of improving collaboration and overall effectiveness. The training programme included guidance on pathways for requesting emergency visits, performing basic clinical observations, and conducting structured handovers. The initiative was supported by external funding, which facilitated the purchase of essential equipment as well as training in its use and maintenance.

A frailty physiotherapist provided home visits for patients with mobility issues. The physiotherapist obtained funding to purchase ankle weights for patient use.

Elderly Care Coordinator conducted proactive outreach, including home visits and welfare checks for elderly patients who had not recently contacted the practice. In one instance, after repeated unsuccessful attempts to contact a patient who had not been in touch for several years, the case was escalated to the police for further action.

The service supplied appropriate, accurate and up-to-date information in formats that were tailored to individual needs.

The practice had access to interpreter services and documents could be provided in languages other than English.

The practice communicated through social media, its website, the PPG, and noticeboards.

The practice had processes in place to identify, record, and meet patients’ individual communication needs in line with the Accessible Information Standard. Communication needs were assessed at the point of registration and updated when patients informed the practice of any changes in their circumstances. Relevant information was recorded and coded on the clinical system, with alerts used to ensure that staff were aware of any specific requirements. In some cases, patients who were non-verbal were provided with an email address to enable direct communication and access to care in a way that met their individual needs.

The service made it easy for people to share feedback and ideas, or raise complaints about their care, treatment and support. They involved people in decisions about their care and told them what had changed as a result.

We saw that complaints were managed in line with the practice’s policy, and when appropriate, lessons learned were shared with the team. However, during the site visit, when staff were asked what they would provide to a patient wishing to make a complaint, they advised that they did not have a leaflet available and would instead provide an email address. However, a copy of the complaints leaflet was sent to us in advance of the site visit.

A representative from the Patient Participation Group (PPG) described an open and constructive environment where they felt able to raise concerns and challenge appropriately. They stated that the practice staff were receptive to feedback and were willing to explain matters in a clear and accessible way.

Practice leaders reviewed data from the NHS England GP Patient Survey 2024 and developed an improvement plan to address the concerns identified through the feedback. In addition to the national survey, the practice conducted its own patient satisfaction survey in October 2024, based on the NHS England GP Patient Survey format. Further patient satisfaction surveys were proposed for May and October 2025 to assess access ahead of the planned transition to an online triage system.

A separate patient questionnaire was also distributed in January 2025 by medical students, focusing on patient access and experience. Patients reported mixed experiences with booking appointments, and some noted delays in being seen. Despite this, overall satisfaction with the care and services at Lowther Medical Centre remained high, with ease of contact and appointment availability highlighted as areas for potential improvement.

The practice actively sought and responded to patient feedback through the Friends and Family Test (FFT).

According to the GP Patient Survey carried out between January and March 2024, 88% said the healthcare professional was good at listening to them.

The service did not always ensure that people could access the care, support and treatment they needed when they needed it.

The 2024 National GP Patient Survey showed only 5%of patients found it easy to contact the practice by phone, and 18% via the website, both significantly below national averages. In October 2024, the practice conducted its own survey, in which 27% of respondents reported it was easy to contact the practice via the website.

The practice introduced several initiatives in an attempt to improve access to care. A new telephone system was implemented in January 2025, which included a call-back feature and queue position updates. As the system had not been in place for long, feedback was not available to evaluate its effectiveness.

Extended access appointments were offered at Queen Street Surgery from Monday to Friday between 6:30 pm and 8:00 pm, and on Saturdays from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.

The planned care team revised chronic disease management processes, improving recall and follow-up systems which helped ensure timely reviews and reduced the need for urgent or unplanned appointments. This proactive approach eliminated the need for patients to ring and book these appointments themselves, relieving pressure on the phone lines and improving overall access to care.

A centralised Patient Experience Team supported access improvements by managing patient enquiries, complaints, and education. Additional measures included appointing a discharge coordinator and aligning care home nurses.

A review was carried out in February 2024 to assess the effectiveness of telephone appointments and whether they resulted in repeated consultations. The audit analysed 131 telephone appointments over 4 weeks and found that the majority, with 79% of same-day and 90% of pre-booked appointments, were resolved without the need for follow-up. Only a small number required face-to-face review or further action. These findings demonstrated that telephone consultations were an effective use of clinical time and supported appointment availability

A review was carried out on online consultation usage, which showed an increase from 58 in June 2024 to a peak of 678 in February 2025.

Telephone access performance was monitored, with call answer rates ranging from 55.68% to 68.05% between March 2024 and April 2025. Leaders told us that staffing issues contributed to the lower rates, and that staffing had since stabilised.

On-site parking was limited, with 2 designated disabled bays available. A larger public car park was located directly across the road, offering pay-and-display parking that was free for Blue Badge holders. The practice did not have automatic front doors, and during the visit, the doorbell was found to be non-functional, which may have presented an access barrier for patients with limited mobility or other accessibility needs. Accessibility within the building was supported by the presence of a lift, a wheelchair for patient use, and a hearing loop. Patients with sensory needs could request quiet spaces, and private areas were available for confidential discussions.

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

Leaders explained that the practice had a flexible registration procedure to accommodate individuals who faced barriers to accessing healthcare services, such as those who had no fixed address or asylum seekers. This included accepting alternative forms of identification or proof of address, waiving administrative or ID requirements, and helping with completing registration forms.

Staff understood the importance of an inclusive approach to care and made adjustments to support equity in patients' experiences and outcomes. They informed us that interpreters were available and that documents could be provided in languages other than English

The practice had an Elderly Care Coordinator who carried out proactive outreach to support older patients. This included conducting home visits or direct contact with patients who had not engaged with the practice over a period of time. The coordinator assessed their well-being, identified any health or social care needs, and arranged follow-up appointments where appropriate. Additionally, a Learning Disability (LD) Coordinator conducted annual health checks for individuals with learning disabilities. Appointments were adapted where necessary, for example, by offering extended time or changing from face-to-face to telephone consultations.

The practice supported patients with sensory needs by offering access to a quiet room adjacent to reception and providing flexibility with appointment scheduling which helped reduce anxiety and improve comfort.

The practice was veteran registered, and they had identified patients with caring responsibilities.

People were supported to plan for important life changes, including at the end of life, so they had time to make informed decisions about their future.

The practice reported that individuals approaching the end of life, including those with protected characteristics and from vulnerable groups, were identified and supported through a range of coordinated approaches. Advance care plans and clinical system alerts were used to flag patients requiring end-of-life care. Regular multidisciplinary team (MDT) meetings involving the clinical team were held to review the care of housebound patients. A dedicated care home team also played a key role in providing ongoing support.

They conducted weekly palliative care meetings with input from a palliative nurse specialist to ensure patients’ needs were regularly reviewed and addressed. Continuity of care was prioritised, with efforts made to ensure that palliative patients were seen by the same GP wherever possible, supporting consistent and personalised care.