Linden Medical Group

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

Leaders used people’s feedback and other evidence to actively seek to improve access for people. Services were designed to make them accessible and timely for people who were most likely to have difficulty accessing care. Changes had been made to the appointments and phone system to improve access to care. The provider prioritised, allocated resources and opportunities as needed to tackle inequalities and achieve equity of access.

The 2024 national GP patient survey showed people found it easy to contact the practice using the NHS App. During our on-site inspection we saw designated staff in the patient waiting area actively promoting the NHS App as well as supporting patients to register and use the app.

We recognise the pressure that practices are currently working under, and the efforts staff are making to maintain levels of access for their patients. At the same time, our strategy makes a commitment to deliver regulation driven by people’s needs and experiences of care. Although we saw the practice had taken action to improve access, there were areas of the 2024 national GP patient survey data where this was not yet reflected.

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.

We did not look at Person-centred Care during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Responsive.

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.

We did not look at Providing Information during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Responsive.

We did not look at Listening to and involving people during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Responsive.

We did not look at Equity in access during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Responsive.

The patient participation group (PPG) felt that patients were able to give their views and felt the practice supported their rights to equality and their human rights. The PPG told us practice staff worked hard to achieve positive outcomes for their patient population and were open and honest to manage patients’ expectations.

Leaders told us how they took a proactive approach to support those that may struggle to access appointments, alerts were used on the clinical system to identify those who may need reasonable adjustments so that they could be accommodated. Staff demonstrated an awareness of patients who may be at risk of digital exclusion and took steps to support them. The practice worked as part of a Primary Care Network (PCN). PCNs are groups of GP practices collaborating with community, mental health, social care, pharmacy, hospital, and voluntary services in their areas to provide local services.

Staff and leaders explained the total triage service which the whole GP team has contributed to and continually seek to improve. Patient request was being assessed on the day and then dealt with according to clinical priority to ensure patients needs were being identified to help reduce the gap between demand and what the practice can deliver.

Practice staff explained working jointly with local care homes to improve joint working arrangements as staff identified this as an area for improvement. Staff explained this comprised of providing care home staff with awareness of the processes within the practice. Staff also explained GPs were carrying out weekly ward rounds and extra support was in place.

The practice complied with legal equality and human rights requirements, including avoiding discrimination, having regard to the needs of people with different protected characteristics and making reasonable adjustments to support equity in experience and outcomes.

The practice employs a clinical pharmacist who attended the practice twice a week. Staff explained this was part of a hypertension pathway which was implemented following findings from a clinical audit to improve the management of patients diagnosed with Hypertension (high blood pressure). Staff explained this was implemented due to waiting times between the time it took for patients to access intervention following receipt of their results. The process comprised of implemented clerks looking at patient records, a hypertension administrator would then invite patients to an Electrocardiogram (ECG) test (a test that records the electrical activity of your heart, including the rate and rhythm) within seven days with Health Care Assistant (HCA). The practice pharmacist was notified and would consider whether to book patients in for a face-to-face or telephone consultation to discuss medical intervention. Two audits provided showed time to diagnosis reduced from 30 days to 23 days and time to treatment had reduced from a baseline of 70 days to 47 days. Although this remained above the practice overall target of 28 days, practice staff were aware of the barriers and taking action to commence treatment for stage two hypertension as soon as the diagnosis is established.

People’s care, treatment and support promoted equality, removed barriers and protected people’s rights. The practice had systems in place to obtain and review patient feedback. This information was used to review patient experience and address any instances of discrimination. The practice had information available in alternative formats and equipment in place to support patients who had a hearing impairment.

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.