The Medical Centre Crabbs Cross

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 found staff treated patients equally and without discrimination. The provider complied with legal equality and human rights requirements. Staff took time to listen to people and ensure they engaged in all aspects of their treatment. Leaders ensured patients had access to appointments when they needed them and supported patients to have good outcomes where appropriate. Staff supported people to plan for the future.

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.

Patient’s individual needs and preferences were central to all appointments and meant people received a service which was tailored to their needs.

Staff were responsive to patients’ individual needs. They listened to patients and had the skills to signpost patients to other services if this was needed. This gave patients more timely access to external support such as social prescribing. This service connects people to activities, groups, and services in their community to meet the practical, social and emotional needs which affect their health and wellbeing.

We observed in patient records that staff considered patients individual needs and recorded these appropriately. Patients experienced a person-centred approach when using the service. Staff ensured patients were at the centre of their care and treatment and allowed them the time needed to discuss their health concerns.

Patients experienced care and treatment which was joined up. Patients felt staff understood their needs and communicated with them in a way which was appropriate about their treatment and any referrals which were made.

Leaders and staff understood the diverse needs of the local community and how treatment needed to be individualised and delivered in a way which met a patient’s assessed needs. They ensured care was joined up, flexible and supported patients’ choice by building working relationships and communication with other professionals so patients received person centred care in a timely and seamless way. Leaders and staff attended multidisciplinary team meetings with other professionals which supported this.

Partners valued the support given to them by staff at the practice. This ensured the most vulnerable patients such as those in nursing homes received care and treatment as they needed it.

Leaders had policies in place to support multidisciplinary team working. They ensured minutes of these meetings were recorded so all professionals had a record of the decisions made about patient care.

Patients could access information in several ways. This could be directly from staff or through the website. Staff ensured up to date information was available to patients in the waiting area of the practice.

Leaders and staff used information in a range of formats to ensure patients understood the treatments offered. These met the Accessible Information Standard which sets out a specific, consistent approach to identifying, recording, flagging, sharing, and meeting the information and communication support needs of patients with a disability or sensory loss. The service also provided information to patients who did not speak English as a first language through translation and interpretation services.

Leaders had a policy on how to meet the communication needs of individuals. This outlined how the doctors could access interpretation services including British Sign Language used by some d/Deaf people.

We received feedback from patients who told us they felt listened to and involved in making decisions. They liked that staff had time to listen to them and felt fully involved in their own treatment and care.

Leaders and staff collected feedback from patients using a variety of methods. These included the annual national GP patient survey, friends and family test and sending for feedback through the booking system.

Leaders did not have a patient participation group (PPG) to support the practice. They had access to the PPG provided by their primary care network who were involved with the practice. We did not see evidence of how this feedback was used for quality improvement.

Patients had no concerns about accessing the practice. They had a choice in the way they made their appointments and were positive about phoning and using the booking system. They felt reception staff responded well to their requests and never had to wait long for an appointment.

Leaders and staff understood the challenges to patient access and had acted to improve this. Staff provided extended access hours for patients who worked which included Saturday mornings. The practice offered same day emergency appointments and telephone consultations. People could access appointments by telephone or through appointment request form available on the website. These requests were reviewed and responded to within 4 hours.

Leaders had recognised the need for improved access to appointments with GPs. As a single handed GP practice this had led to patient appointments not aways running to time. Leaders had recruited a salaried GP and increased the number of sessions being offered by their regular locum GP to improve this. Nurses ran additional clinics if needed during busy times to ensure patients had good access to treatment and care.

Feedback provided by people using the service, both to the provider as well as to CQC, was positive. Staff treated people equally and without discrimination.

Staff treated people as individuals and according to their personal needs. We found no evidence of discrimination from staff or leaders.

Leaders proactively sought ways to address any barriers to improving people’s experience. They worked within their local Primary Care Network to look at ways to improve patients experiences and reduce health inequalities. Staff told us of training they had received in equality and diversity and understood the needs of the practice population.

Patients gave positive feedback about the support they received when caring for elderly relatives. They were able to get appointments easily and received the support and guidance they needed in their caring roles.

Leaders and staff worked with other organisations to help people future planning. This included end of life care and ensuring everything was in place to keep patients comfortable and supported. For other patients staff supported them to access information on diet, lifestyle and exercise and provided referral to other organisations such as community physiotherapists and community nursing services to support them to have healthier futures.

Leaders had policies and processes in place for supporting patients. This included end of life care and support for people in nursing and care homes. They attended regular meetings with other professionals to ensure care and treatment was streamlined and appropriate to meet the patient’s needs.