- GP practice
Carlisle Central Practice
Report from 17 February 2025 assessment
Contents
Ratings
Our view of the service
Date of assessment: 16 and 17 April, 2025. Carlisle Central Practice is a GP practice that provides care and treatment to approximately 13,600 patients of all ages, based on a Personal Medical Services (PMS) contract. The practice is part of the NHS North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB) and provides care and treatment to patients living in Carlisle and the surrounding areas. We visited the following locations as part of the inspection:
65 Warwick Road, Carlisle, Cumbria, CA1 1EB
Fusehill Medical Centre, Fusehill Street, Carlisle, Cumbria, CA1 2HE
The premises at Warwick Road are within a converted townhouse, while those at Fusehill Medical Centre are located in purpose-built buildings. Both provide patients with fully accessible treatment and consultation rooms.
This assessment was carried out to assess the quality of services being delivered based on patient feedback we had reviewed. Warwick Road Surgery was last inspected in October 2018, before the merger with Fusehill Medical Centre, and rated Good overall and for all key questions.This was the first assessment of this service since the merger.
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.
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. Lessons were learned when concerns were raised, but some staff did not feel involved in the learning that took place.
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, however, we saw there were occasions where transitions could have been improved when moving services. Staff made sure people understood their care and treatment to enable them to give informed consent.
People were treated with kindness and compassion, however some people felt there was room for improvement in this regard. Staff treated people as individuals and supported their preferences. People had choice in their care and treatment. The service made efforts to support staff wellbeing, but some staff felt this could be better.
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 worked to eliminate discrimination and 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. The practice made efforts to make sure that people could access the care, support and treatment they needed when they needed it but faced challenges in doing so.
Leaders and staff had a shared vision and culture. Staff were treated equally, free from bullying or harassment, but told us they did not always feel supported to give feedback. Staff understood their roles and responsibilities, but did not always know the roles of others and felt that communication could be improved. 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
Patient feedback we reviewed during this assessment showed that patient experience overall was mixed, with staff being described as kind, friendly and understanding, but with other patients stating that staff were rude, that it was difficult to contact the practice, and that they found it hard to get an appointment.
The 2024 GP patient survey showed that patient satisfaction with access via the practice website or NHS app was below local and national averages, whereas the percentage of patients who found it easy to contact the practice by phone was above average. We received feedback from 26 patients via our Give Feedback on Care website during the weeks leading up to the inspection; 19 of the people who contacted us gave negative feedback, 6 gave mixed feedback, and 1 person was wholly positive.
Patients who left reviews on the NHS website were mostly positive about their overall experience of the practice, however, with 25 out of 36 reviews giving them 4 or 5 stars out of 5.