During an assessment under our new approach
Date of Assessment: 6 May 2026. High Pastures Surgery is a GP practice and delivers services to approximately 10,100 people under a contract held with NHS England. The service is located at 138 Liverpool Road North, Merseyside. According to the latest available data, the ethnic make-up of the service area is approximately 98% White, 0.6% Asian, 1.2% Mixed, 0.2% Black and 0.2% Other. Information published by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities shows deprivation within the service population group is in the 9th decile (9 of 10). The lower the decile, the more deprived the service population is relative to others.
This was a focused assessment. We undertook this assessment due to the length of time since our last assessment. We assessed 10 quality statements from across all 5 key questions. We found a breach of regulation in relation to Good Governance. We have asked the provider for an action plan in response to the concerns found at this assessment.
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 premises and facilities were clean and the provider assessed and managed the risk of infection and took steps to control the risk of it spreading. The premises were appropriately maintained overall. However, some improvements were needed to how risks were assessed and managed in the environment including fire safety as actions from a fire risk assessment had not been acted upon in a timely way.
A review of staffing had recently taken place and staffing was due to be increased for non-clinical staff. A further review was planned and this should include the roles and responsibilities at a leadership/management level. We noted some gaps in core mandatory training for members of the staff team.
Staff supported people to live healthier lives, monitoring their care and treatment to ensure they received positive and consistent outcomes. Staff treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion, and respected their privacy and dignity.
The system for booking appointments was responsive to people’s needs. Patient satisfaction with being able to readily access the service was very good and people could access care, treatment and support when they needed it. However, people sometimes waited a long time to get through to the practice by phone.
The culture of the service was described as open and healthy. Leaders were visible and supportive.
Some of the processes in place to govern the service were not fully effective. For example, the system for oversight and management of staff training, supervision and appraisal required improvement as the provider was not effectively monitoring compliance in these areas. Some aspects of health and safety also required improvement. The provider should review the arrangements for governance to ensure they are fully effective and support clear lines of accountability.
Leaders and staff were alert to discrimination and inequality that could disadvantage groups of people who used the service and sought ways to address any barriers.