Updated 16 February 2026
Date of Assessment: 10 April 2026 to 16 April 2026.
Little Lever Health Centre-2 is a GP practice that delivers service to approximately 2862 patients under a contract held with NHS England. The National General Practice Profiles states that 88% of patients are White, 8% are Asian, and 4% Black, Mixed or Other. Information published by Office for Health Improvement and Disparities shows that deprivation within the practice population group is in the 5th decile (5 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. Where relevant, further commentary is provided in the quality statements section of this report.
SAFE: The provider did not have a good learning culture. Incidents were not thoroughly investigated with a view to learning and making improvements. Staffing was not managed in a way to ensure there were sufficient numbers of trained, skilled staff with the relevant experience. Managers did not make sure staff received training in a timely way. Prescribing errors were a risk to patients.
EFFECTIVE: People were involved in assessments of their needs. Staff reviewed assessments taking account of people’s communication, personal and health needs. Care was usually based on latest evidence and good practice. Some national targets in relation to screening had not been met. 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.
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 were usually involved in decisions about their care. The service provided information people could understand. People knew how to give feedback, but it was not always appropriately investigated or acted on. The service was easy to access but appointments did not run to time. People were usually involved in planning their care and understood options around choosing to withdraw or not receive care.
WELL-LED: Leaders and staff did not have a shared vision and culture based on listening, learning and trust. Leaders at all levels did not fully understand the context in which they delivered care, treatment and support. They did not show they had the skills, knowledge, or experience to lead effectively. The practice did not have clear systems of accountability and good governance. Risks had not been identified, and risks that had been highlighted to the practice had not been acted on.
This practice was placed into special measures following an assessment in November 2024. The purpose of special measures is to ensure that services providing inadequate care make significant improvements. Special measures provide a framework within which we use our enforcement powers in response to inadequate care and provide a timeframe within which providers must improve the quality of the care they provide.
An assessment in November 2024 found breaches of regulations in relation to safe care and treatment, good governance and fit and proper persons employed. We issued warning notices stating the provider must comply with these regulations by 28 February 2025. We carried out a further assessment in March 2025 to check if the warning notices had been complied with. The March 2025 assessment found breaches of the same regulations, and we continued our action in line with our enforcement powers.
At this assessment we found the provider has failed to make required improvements and is still in breach of regulations in relation to safe care and treatment, good governance and fit and proper persons employed. We continue to take action in line with our published enforcement powers.