Balfour 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

At our last inspection, we rated this key question as Requires Improvement. At this assessment, the rating is Good. We looked for evidence that the service involved people and treated them with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect. During our assessment of this key question, we found the practice promoted the wellbeing of staff and supported them to deliver person-centred care. Staff had regular opportunities to provide feedback, raise concerns and suggest ways to improve the service or staff experiences. If necessary, leaders provided a timely and considered response.

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. Although the National GP Patient Survey 2024 data did not always reflect that people felt listened to and were treated with kindness, recent data from the surgery’s 2025 patient surveys indicated that there had been a positive change in this area. Staff we spoke with understood Gillick competency and there was a process to ensure young adults had control over their own privacy and the amount of parental involvement in managing their care and support.

The practice 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. This included provisions to identify and support carers. Staff treated patients as individuals and were able to describe adjustments they made to enable them to be fully involved in their care. Patient communication needs were recorded and staff gave support to people to enable them to be fully involved in their care.

The service promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing. They provided patients with information and guidance to enable them to make informed decisions about their care. This was reflected in the positive feedback we received from patients who told us they felt supported when making choices about their care, treatment and wellbeing.

The practice listened to and understood people’s needs, views and wishes. Staff responded to people’s needs 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 service cared about and promoted the wellbeing 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 wellbeing needs of staff, which included the necessary resources and facilities for safe working. Staff provided us with examples of where leaders proactively engaged with staff by organising various activities, such as team social gatherings and lunches.