- GP practice
Yarm Medical Practice
Assessment report published 25 November 2025
Contents
Ratings
Our view of the service
Date of Assessment 18 to 25 September 2025. Yarm Medical Practice is a GP practice and provides care and treatment to over 14,300 patients of all ages, under a contract held with NHS England. Data from The National General Practice Profiles showed that the practice has a higher proportion of patients aged 60 and above, when compared to England and local averages.
Information published by Office for Health Improvement and Disparities showed that deprivation within the practice population group is in the last decile (10 of 10), meaning the practice population is in the least deprived group 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.
This was a planned comprehensive assessment carried out to assess the quality of services being delivered due to length of time since last inspection. Yarm Medical Practice was last inspected in December 2015, when it was rated outstanding for the key questions of effective and well led, good for safe, caring and responsive, and was outstanding overall.
Safe: People were safe and protected from avoidable harm.The service had a good learning culture and people could raise concerns. Managers investigated incidents thoroughly. 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.
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. Staff involved those important to people, and 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 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. 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. Patient feedback highlighted difficulties people had in accessing the service. The practice was working to improve this.
Well-led: The service was consistently managed and well-led. Leaders and the culture they created promoted high-quality, person-centred care.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 spoke highly of leaders and were heavily invested in the practice vision and ethos. Staff were well supported to give feedback and were treated equally, free from bullying or harassment. Staff had a thorough understanding of their roles and responsibilities and were supported with development and training opportunities. Managers worked with the local community to deliver the best possible care and were innovative in exploring means of continuous improvement.
People's experience of this service
The latest national GP patient survey showed that while overall patient experience was in line with local and national averages, and patients felt involved in their care, patient satisfaction with access via the practice website, phone or NHS app was below local and national averages.
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 it was difficult to contact the practice, and that they found it hard to get an appointment.
There was an active patient participation group (PPG) who represented the views of people using the service. Representatives from the PPG described how leaders made positive changes because of feedback, such as improving privacy at reception and car parking arrangements.