- GP practice
Cuckoo Lane Practice
Assessment report published 3 July 2026
Contents
Ratings
Our view of the service
Date of Assessment: We conducted an inspection between 1 and 2 December 2025, due to CQC staffing availability clinical searches for the practice were carried out on 5 February 2026. Cuckoo Lane Practice is an alternative provider of medical services, and the staff work as a multidisciplinary team with the core of the service being nurse led, but a GP is available for 3 hours daily. The provider delivers service to 6,031 patients under a contract held with NHS England. The service was previously under joint leadership, the leadership has since changed to a sole leadership and the leader informed us arrangements were being made to recruit an additional member. At the last inspection in 2015 we rated this service outstanding, however we found that some of those elements previously regarded as outstanding practice are now embedded throughout most GP practices. Whilst the provider had maintained this good practice, the threshold to achieve an outstanding rating overall has not been reached with this assessment.
The National General Practice Profiles states 56.87% of registered patients are White, 17.15% are Asian, 11.41% are Black, 6.81% are Mixed, and 7.76% are Other. Information published by Office for Health Improvement and Disparities shows that deprivation within the practice population group is in the 6th decile (6 of 10). 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. The service is registered with the Care Quality Commission under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 to provide the following regulated activities: diagnostic and screening procedures, maternity and midwifery services, and treatment of disease, disorder, or injury. Where relevant, further commentary is provided in the quality statements section of this report.
Safe: 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.
Effective: The service always supported people to manage their health and wellbeing to fully maximise their independence, choice and control. The service supported people to live healthier lives and where possible, reduce their future needs for care and support. 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.
Caring: 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.
Responsive: 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.
Well-Led: 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. 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.
People's experience of this service
People were positive about the quality of their care and treatment. Recent survey results, including from the National GP Patient Survey and the NHS Friends and Family Test, showed people were satisfied with services. The results from the National GP Patient Survey were above local and national averages. The results in this report will refer to the 2025 results as the assessment was conducted before the 2026 results were published. There was an active patient participation group (PPG) who represented the views of people using the service. Representatives from the PPG described how managers made positive changes because of feedback, such as a phlebotomy service at the practice and extended evening and weekend appointment availability. The overall feedback from patients and staff gathered from the inspection was positive.
As part of our assessment the service directed its clients to provide feedback directly to CQC. We saw that the service had proactively promoted this feedback mechanism to its clients.