Eltham Palace Surgery

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 found the service was not providing caring care. This was because not all staff had completed required training in learning disability and autism. The national GP patient survey showed patient satisfaction was below national averages for 3 of 4 indicators relating to kindness, compassion and dignity. Some staff told us some leaders at the practice were not approachable and this had impacted staff wellbeing.

This service scored 60 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The GP patient survey from April 2023 showed patient satisfaction in line with national averages when asked whether the last healthcare professional they saw was “good” or “very good” at listening to them. Satisfaction with the other 3 indicators regarding kindness, compassion and dignity were lower than national averages. These included; the overall experience of their GP practice; whether the last healthcare professional they saw was good or very good at treating them with care or concern; and whether they had confidence and trust in the healthcare professional they saw or spoke to. Performance across the 4 indicators had increased since the previous survey in 2022. There were 50 reviews on the NHS website. 29 reviews gave a rating of 4 or 5 stars, 3 reviews gave 3 stars and 16 reviews gave 1 or 2 stars. Positive comments referred to friendly doctors and understanding reception staff. Negative comments referred to patients not feeling listened to and feeling rushed in their consultations.

The provider carried out their own patient surveys and shared details of their most recent survey. Positive feedback referred to polite and caring doctors. Negative feedback referred to frustrations at being able to discuss one issue only during the consultation and that appointments were sometimes cancelled at short notice.

We observed staff treating patients with kindness, compassion and dignity. Staff spoke to patients politely and clearly.

The national GP patient survey in April 2023 showed patient satisfaction in line with national averages when asked if they were involved as much as they wanted to be with their care and treatment. Performance in this area had improved since the previous survey in 2022. Patients we spoke to directly told us they felt involved in their care and treatment.

Staff told us bereaved patients would be contacted by the practice. These patients were signposted to bereavement services and local support groups. The provider told us there was a system to ensure the practice could respond to changes in people’s preferred gender, name and title. All staff had not completed training in learning disability and autism. The provider told us this was in progress and there were plans for all staff to complete the training.

The provider kept a record of all carers registered with the practice. There were information leaflets available in the practice for carers. Carers were invited for immunisations, for example flu vaccinations. Patients requiring additional support, for example those people who did not speak English or people with learning disability, were booked a double appointment as standard.

Patients told us they felt involved in their care and treatment and were aware of the chaperone system. Patients told us they could request a particular GP or state a preference of the gender of their GP. However, patients felt this would usually result in a longer wait for an appointment.

Staff told us they had received chaperone training and felt comfortable acting as chaperones when requested.

There were signs in the practice advising that chaperones were available.

Feedback from patients regarding how their immediate needs were met was generally positive. There was one negative comment on the NHS website, which referenced a negative experience for a patient who needed to lip read. The practice had responded to this complaint, stating the incident would be discussed and training would be arranged for staff. One patient we spoke with during the site visit reported that they were hesitant to engage with the practice following a GP being “dismissive” and lacking compassion in their attitude following a bereavement the patient had experienced some years prior.

Staff told us there were processes to be able to support patients. For example alerts were on the practice’s systems would tell practice staff if a patient had a learning disability or needed support through interpreters.

We received mixed feedback regarding staff wellbeing at the practice. Some staff told us they felt comfortable raising concerns; however, we were also told that some leaders in the practice were not approachable. Some staff told us there had been improvements in the working environment. Others said disagreements between senior partners impacted their ability to deliver care to patients to the best of their ability. Leaders told us they had allocated more time for staff to raise concerns in an attempt to improve staff wellbeing.

The practice collected feedback from staff and shared details of the most recent survey. This particular survey focused on staff wellbeing and found some staff felt overwhelmed and stressed at work. The provider told us the survey had been discussed in team meetings and had put in place processes to improve staff wellbeing. For example, staff had access to free counselling services.