• Doctor
  • GP practice

Newtown Medical Centre

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

243 Wheeler Street, Birmingham, B19 2ET (0121) 203 0666

Provided and run by:
Newtown Medical Centre

Important: This service was previously registered at a different address - see old profile

All Inspections

During an assessment under our new approach

Date of Assessment:5 May 2026 to 30 May 2026. Newtown Medical Centre is a GP practice and delivers service to 20,758 patients under a contract held with NHS England. The National General Practice Profiles states that 45% are Asian, 25% are Black,19% are White,4% are Mixed and 5% are Other. Information published by Office for Health Improvement and Disparities shows that deprivation within the practice population group is in the first decile (1 decile of10). The lower the decile, the more deprived the practice population is relative to others. This assessment considered the demographics of the people using the service, the context the service was working within and how this impacted service delivery. Where relevant, further commentary is provided in the quality statements section of this report.

The inspection was a comprehensive assessment covering all key questions Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-Led. We inspected this service in response to feedback we received from the National GP Patient Survey and people who used the service regarding access to services.

The service had a good learning culture and people could raise concerns. Managers investigated incidents thoroughly. People were protected and kept safe. Staff understood and managed risks. The facilities and equipment met the needs of people, were clean and well-maintained and any risks mitigated. There were enough staff with the right skills, qualifications and experience. Managers made sure staff received training and regular appraisals to maintain high-quality care. Staff managed medicines well and involved people in planning any changes.

People were involved in assessments of their needs. Staff reviewed assessments taking account of people’s communication, personal and health needs. Care was based on latest evidence and good practice. Staff worked with all agencies involved in people’s care for the best outcomes and smooth transitions when moving services. Staff made sure people understood their care and treatment to enable them to give informed consent. Staff involved those important to people took decisions in people’s best interests where they did not have capacity.

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 wellbeing.

People were involved in decisions about their care. The service provided information people could understand. People knew how to give feedback and were confident the service took it seriously and acted on it. The service was easy to access and worked to eliminate discrimination. People received fair and equal care and treatment. The service worked to reduce health and care inequalities through training and feedback. People were involved in planning their care and understood options around choosing to withdraw or not receive care.

Leaders and staff had a shared vision and culture based on listening, learning and trust. Leaders were visible, knowledgeable and supportive, helping staff develop in their roles. Staff felt supported to give feedback and were treated equally, free from bullying or harassment. Staff understood their roles and responsibilities. Managers worked with the local community to deliver the best possible care and were receptive to new ideas. There was a culture of continuous improvement with staff given time and resources to try new ideas.

1 December 2022

During a routine inspection

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Newtown Medical Centre on 1 December 2022. Overall, the practice is rated as good.

Safe - good

Effective - good

Caring - good

Responsive - good

Well-led - good

Why we carried out this inspection

This inspection was a comprehensive inspection due to changes to the registration of the provider and includes the safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led key questions.

How we carried out the inspection

This inspection was carried out in a way which enabled us to spend a minimum amount of time on site.

This included:

  • Conducting staff interviews using video conferencing.
  • Completing clinical searches on the practice’s patient records system (this was with consent from the provider and in line with all data protection and information governance requirements).
  • Reviewing patient records to identify issues and clarify actions taken by the provider.
  • Requesting evidence from the provider.
  • A short site visit.

Our findings

We based our judgement of the quality of care at this service on a combination of:

  • what we found when we inspected
  • information from our ongoing monitoring of data about services and
  • information from the provider, patients, the public and other organisations.

We have rated this practice as Good overall.

We found that:

  • The practice provided care in a way that kept patients safe and protected them from avoidable harm.
  • Patients received effective care and treatment that met their needs.
  • Policies and procedures were in place to enable the practice to operate safely and effectively.
  • There were effective systems in place to monitor patients prescribed high-risk medicines and monitoring of patients with long-term conditions.
  • The practice leaders had management oversight of staff qualifications and training.
  • Staff were clear and knowledgeable about their roles and responsibilities.
  • Effective governance arrangements had been implemented to mitigate risks and ensure patients were kept safe.
  • The practice had recruited further clinicians to offer a more diverse and mixed workforce to meet the needs of its patient population. The practice had purchased IT software to support telephone access for appointments.
  • Complaints were handled appropriately including timely acknowledgment, response and appropriate systems for learning from complaints were in place.
  • We saw evidence of quality improvement activity aimed at improving local health inequalities.

Whilst we found no breaches of regulations, the provider should:

  • Review the systems for the monitoring of emergency medicines to ensure these are robust.
  • Improve the uptake of childhood immunisations and cervical cancer screening.

We found areas of outstanding practice:

  • The practice was responsive to the needs of the practice population and had instigated a number of projects in the community, with the involvement of secondary care services and the local authority to promote and encourage engagement with their population. This included work with local schools to address health inequalities and education.
  • The practice had provided a food bank for its patients for the past four years. Staff donated food, clothing and money each week to provide additional support to vulnerable patients and families registered at the practice.
  • In response to community concerns the practice purchased bleed control kits, which were accessible on site in the event of a gunshot or stabbing injury. This provided practice staff with equipment that, could provide potentially lifesaving treatment until emergency services arrived.

Details of our findings and the evidence supporting our ratings are set out in the evidence tables.

Dr Sean O’Kelly BSc MB ChB MSc DCH FRCA

Chief Inspector of Hospitals and Interim Chief Inspector of Primary Medical Services