Russell Street Group 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 assessed 5 quality statements from this key question. We found people were able to access care and treatment in a timely way and the practice understood the needs of its local population and made reasonable adjusts when patients found it hard to access services.

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 patients we spoke to and received feedback from, spoke positively about all aspects of care they and their family had received. They told us they felt empowered by the clinicians and were involved in planning and making shared decisions about their care and treatment. The 2023 national GP Patient Survey data regarding people’s experience of care showed the practice results for all indicators were in line with local and national averages. For example, the percentage of respondents who responded positively about clinicians treating them with care and concern was 77% and this was comparable to the local average (85%) and national average (84%).

Staff told us how they identified, listened and responded to individuals needs adjusting the service to be more inclusive. They took peoples individual preferences into consideration when making appointments and providing information. Staff told us they provided information in formats that helped patients to understand their care, treatment and conditions.

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.

Patient feedback did not indicate themes or concerns regarding the provision of information from the service.

Staff told us that whilst translation services were available, many members of staff spoke different languages which reflected the variety of languages spoken in the local community. Staff told us this was useful to ensure information was appropriate, accurate and understood. Staff could also describe how the practice complied with the Accessible Information Standard.

The practice provided patients with opportunities to provide feedback about their care through the NHS friends and family test and through Patient Participation Group (PPG) feedback surveys.

Patients we spoke to and received feedback from during the assessment, spoke positively about how practice staff listened to their concerns and involved them in decisions about their care. The 2023 national GP Patient Survey data regarding people’s experience of being listened to was just below local and national averages. For example, the percentage of respondents who responded positively about how practice staff listened to them was 78% and this was below the local average (87%) and national average (85%).

Staff described how they communicated with patients in a way that helped them to understand their care, treatment and condition, and any advice given. Staff also told us how they helped patients and their families or carers find further information and access community and advocacy services.

There were processes in place for patients to share feedback and ideas or raise complaints about their care, treatment and support. For example, there were processes to ensure complaints were listened and responded to and used to improve the quality of care. From our review of complaints the practice had received in the last 12 month, 2 of the 3 complaints were handled in accordance with the complaint policy. However, on review, the complaints policy referred to staff no longer in the practice, did not contain the different escalation pathways and 1 of the complaints we reviewed did not include any dates, therefore it was unclear whether this complaint was dealt with in a timely manner and in accordance with the complaints policy.

The 2023 national GP Patient Survey data regarding access showed the practice results for all 4 indicators were in line with local and national averages. For example, the percentage of respondents who responded positively to how easy it was to contact the GP practice on the telephone was 50% and this was comparable to the national average which was also 50%. Patient feedback gathered by the practice was also positive. For example, in the 3 months prior to the June 2024 assessment, 37 patients responded to the NHS Friends and Family Test and 86% (32 out of 37) responded they were likely or extremely likely to recommend the practice to their friends and family. The practice monitored and reviewed patient feedback and used this to make improvements to patient access and overall experience. The practice also engaged with the Patient Participation Group (PPG) to seek suggestions to improve access.

Feedback from staff members demonstrated that they had a good understanding of the patient population, awareness of the local and national primary care challenges and had acted to improve patient access. Staff explained they provided opportunities and support for different groups of the patient population to overcome health inequalities including adjustments to the registration process and how patients could communicate with the practice to address health inequalities.

The practice had processes and systems in place to ensure patients received timely care, treatment and appointments. For example, the practice offered face to face, telephone appointments and home visits where appropriate. There were also processes and suitable training which enabled reception staff to direct the patient to the most appropriate healthcare professional for their needs, this included when appropriate to signpost patients to other health services within the area.

The patient we spoke to told us they never experienced any discrimination or inequality in accessing care. They advised they were always offered an appointment at any of the 3 sites. This aligned to other patient feedback we received during the assessment and the 2023 national GP Patient Survey data regarding access. For example, the percentage of respondents who responded positively to if they were given an appointment the last time they tried was 97%, this was above the local average and national averages, both of which were 91%.

Leaders and staff were alert to discrimination and inequality that could disadvantage different groups of people accessing the practice. Further feedback from staff demonstrated people in vulnerable circumstances were able to register with the practice, including those with no fixed abode.

The were processes in place to support people with no fixed abode to ensure they could access care and treatment when required. The practice offered home visits to vulnerable or housebound patients.

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.