Asplands Medical Centre

On this page

• Overview
• Shared direction and culture
• Capable, compassionate and inclusive leaders
• Freedom to speak up
• Workforce equality, diversity and inclusion
• Governance, management and sustainability
• Partnerships and communities
• Learning, improvement and innovation

We looked for evidence that service leadership, management and governance assured high-quality, person-centred care; supported learning and innovation; and promoted an open, fair culture. At our last assessment, we rated this key question as good. At this assessment, the rating remains the same.

This service scored 79 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The service had a clear shared vision, strategy and culture. This was based on transparency, equity, equality, human rights, diversity, inclusion and engagement. Staff and leaders demonstrated an understanding of the challenges and the needs of people and their communities.

The service demonstrated exceptional leadership, underpinned by a strong, inclusive, and compassionate culture that was fully embedded across all roles and both sites. Leaders not only set clear expectations but consistently modelled the behaviours they expected from staff, creating a culture based on trust, openness and shared accountability. Staff consistently described leaders as approachable, and highly supportive. Clinical and non‑clinical staff gave examples of feeling confident to raise concerns informally with the Practice Manager or senior clinicians, and told us these were addressed promptly and constructively, without blame. This reinforced an environment, where staff felt empowered to speak openly and contribute to service improvement.

Staff wellbeing was a leadership priority and embedded into everyday service. Leaders provided real‑time emotional support following challenging situations, conducted regular informal check‑ins, and recognised staff contributions. Staff described the culture as “extremely supportive” and said this focus on wellbeing helped sustain morale, resilience, and continuity of care, including during periods of workforce change. Leadership presence across both sites reinforced shared values and a strong sense of being “one team”.

Partnership working further demonstrated the strength of leadership and culture. The Practice Manager held regular bi‑monthly meetings with care home partners, creating structured opportunities for shared learning, service review, and improvement planning. Care home leaders described how feedback raised during these meetings led to service improvements, including enhanced communication pathways, improved continuity of care and timely clinical support for residents. This proactive and collaborative approach resulted in demonstrable improvements in people’s safety, experience and outcomes, and evidenced leadership impact beyond the service.

Governance arrangements supported continuous learning and improvement. Learning from incidents, audits, complaints and near misses were clearly recorded, shared and revisited. Staff could clearly describe changes implemented following governance discussions, such as improved clinical flagging systems and service redesign based on patient feedback. This demonstrated that learning was translated into meaningful and sustained improvements.

Staff and partners described leadership as honest, responsive, and solution‑focused, particularly during periods of change or increased demand. Leaders consistently followed through on agreed actions, reviewed their impact, and adapted approaches where required. This responsiveness strengthened staff confidence and trust in leadership and supported a resilient, high‑performing service.

We did not look at Capable, compassionate and inclusive leaders during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Well-led.

We did not look at Freedom to speak up during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Well-led.

We did not look at Workforce equality, diversity and inclusion during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Well-led.

The service had clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability and good governance. They used these to manage and deliver good quality, sustainable care, treatment, and support. They acted on the best information about risk, performance, and outcomes, and shared this securely with others when appropriate.

Governance arrangements were effective, with leaders taking a proactive approach to maintaining safety and ensuring oversight of performance and quality. Systems and processes, including regular governance meetings and the use of information systems, were used to monitor risks and outcomes, enabling early identification and response to emerging issues.

A significant event review led to the introduction of wheelchair flags. These flags identify patients using a service‑provided wheelchair rather than their own, indicating that their usual level of mobility may not be accurately reflected at the time of the GP assessment. This supports safer and more appropriate clinical decision‑making.

Following staff interviews, leaders demonstrated that complaints were managed through clear governance processes, with defined roles and responsibilities for oversight and response. Complaints were reviewed regularly to identify themes, share learning, and inform service improvements.

Leaders showed accountability by completing agreed actions and reviewing their impact. Staff described how audit findings, complaints, and patient feedback led to improvements, such as changes to access systems and communication processes. These were subsequently reviewed to ensure improvements were effective and sustained over time.

Staffing models were adjusted to meet demand while maintaining staff wellbeing. Leaders also worked closely with Primary Care Network (PCN) partners and care homes to support effective service delivery. PCNs are groups of local GP practices that work together with other health and care organisations to provide more coordinated care and improve patient access to a wider range of services and support.

We did not look at Partnerships and communities during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Well-led.

We did not look at Learning, improvement and innovation during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Well-led.