Gravesend Medical Centre

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

People were treated with kindness and compassion. Staff protected their privacy and dignity. They treated them as individuals and supported their preferences. People had choice in their care and treatment. The service supported staff well-being.

At this assessment, the rating remains 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 treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. Staff treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect.

Arrangements were in place to promote patients’ privacy. National GP Patient Survey data for 2024 showed 75.5% of respondents said the healthcare professional they saw at their last appointment was good at listening to them, 74.5% of respondents said the healthcare professional treated them with care and concern and 85.8% of respondents said they had confidence and trust in the healthcare professional they saw or spoke with. Further, 64.5% of respondents responded positively to the overall experience of the practice.

The service treated people as individuals and made sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences. They took account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics.

Patients’ personal, cultural, social, religious and equality characteristics needs were understood and met. Patient communication needs were met to enable them to be fully involved in their care.

National GP Patient Survey data showed 90.7% of respondents stated that at their last appointment, they were involved as much as they wanted to be in decisions about their care and treatment.

CQC received 10 records of feedback through CQC’s “Give Feedback on Care” form in the last 12 months. Positive feedback highlighted quick access to appointments, high-quality and compassionate care, and efficient, supportive staff. Patients valued the friendly reception team and attentive GPs, with minimal wait times. However, some concerns were raised regarding feeling dismissed, difficulties in obtaining referrals, delays in fulfilling repeat prescription requests, administrative delays, and a disagreement with a clinical decision.

The service promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and well-being.

Staff helped patients and their carers to access advocacy and community-based services.

The practice had a system in place to identify carers. They actively engaged with patients to identify young carers and under represented groups. They supported them to receive vaccinations and where possible convenient appointments.

The service listened to and understood people’s needs, views and wishes. Staff responded to people’s needs in the moment and acted to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress.

There was a system for appointment triage that ensured people with immediate needs had access to services. Staff we spoke with knew the process for referral to emergency support, including mental health crisis teams.

The practice had systems in place to respond to people’s needs. For example, they helped reduce waiting times for people when attending for their appointment by installing a self-check in system. They had improved the waiting environment for people introducing educational tools such as a display screen and reupholstering chairs.

The service cared about and promoted the well-being of their staff and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care.

Staff told us they were valued by leaders. Leaders had taken steps to recognise and meet the well-being needs of staff, which included the necessary resources and facilities for safe working, such as regular breaks and rest areas. Staff reported being supported if they were struggling at work. We saw team building days were established within the practice, along with initiatives to encourage staff to recognise and appreciate each other’s good work and support.