During an assessment under our new approach
Date of Assessment: 27 January – 4 February 2026.
The Spa Surgery is a GP practice in Harrogate. The practice delivers service to 14,059 patients under a contract held with NHS England.
The provider is registered with the CQC to deliver the Regulated Activities, diagnostic and screening procedures, family planning, maternity and midwifery services, surgical procedures and treatment of disease, disorder or injury.
We inspected and rated this service under our previous methodology in July 2016. The practice was rated Good overall and in all key questions.
This assessment was carried out to assess the quality of services being delivered due to the length of time since the previous assessment.
The National General Practice Profiles states that the ethnicity of the patient population is 94.16% white, 2.37 % Asian, 0.78% Black, 1.98% mixed and 0.71% other. Information published by Office for Health Improvement and Disparities shows that deprivation within the practice population group is in the 9th decile (9 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 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. 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. The provider had undertaken health and safety and fire risk assessments and audits. High-risk portable appliance testing (PAT) had been undertaken annually. Records for lower-risk items could not be verified at the time of the assessment, however, the provider confirmed that PAT testing would be completed for these items by March 2026.Medical equipment had been calibrated.
EFFECTIVE: 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 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. We saw there were systems in place to ensure effective monitoring of patients with long-term conditions. 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 patients as individuals and supported their preferences. People had choice in their care and treatment. The service supported staff wellbeing and carried out annual staff wellbeing surveys.
RESPONSIVE: 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 provider had improved the appointment system 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.
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. This feedback was echoed in the staff survey. Staff understood their roles and responsibilities. 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 and the practice worked with the Patient participation group (PPG) to improve accessibility and communication. The PPG had undertaken a review of message wording sent to patients, they were also involved in the design of the practice website and the concept of digital inclusion appointments offered to patients.