- GP practice
Rothwell and Desborough Healthcare Group
Assessment report published 1 June 2026
Contents
Ratings
Our view of the service
Date of Assessment: 6 May to 11 May 2026.
Rothwell and Desborough Healthcare Group is a GP practice with 2 locations. The site in Rothwell is situated at 109 Desborough Road, Rothwell, NN14 6JQ. The site in Desborough is situated at 35 High Street, Desborough, NN14 2NB. The practice delivers service to 22,100 patients under a contract held with NHS England. The National General Practice Profiles states that practice population is 95.2% White, 1.5% Black, 1.4% Asian, 1.4% Mixed and 0.5% Other. Information published by Office for Health Improvement and Disparities shows that deprivation within the practice population group is in the 7th decile (7 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.
Under our previous methodology, at the last inspection in September 2023, the practice was rated requires improvement for providing safe and responsive services, resulting in an overall rating of requires improvement. This announced assessment was carried out due to the existing rating. We assessed all 5 key questions to establish if the services provided are safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led.
During this assessment, we saw evidence that systems to support patients in raising concerns were available and encouraged improvement. Similarly, staff advised there were effective processes to report significant events, which were investigated and actions taken as required. However, many staff told us they were not confident to speak up and raise concerns. Some staff advised that when they had raised concerns, action was not taken by leaders. The premises were clean and well maintained. Managers ensured staff received regular appraisals and formal clinical supervision was available. 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. 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. People were involved in decisions about their care. The practice had worked to improve patient access and to eliminate discrimination. We received mixed feedback on staff wellbeing. Whilst some staff felt well supported, others did not and reported excessive workloads and insufficient time to complete training. Staff were not always clear on roles and responsibilities. The leadership team received mixed feedback with staff describing a lack of consistency and cohesion in decision making.
Following this assessment, the practice has been rated as good overall, with a rating of requires improvement for providing well-led services. We found concerns relating to the governance, leadership and staff at the practice. As a result, the provider was found to be in breach of Regulation 17 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. We have asked the provider to submit an action plan in response to the concerns found at this assessment.
People's experience of this service
The practice encouraged and used feedback from people who used the service to make improvements. Both verbal and written complaints were investigated and used to drive improvement. Feedback from the NHS Friends and Family Test was positive, with 96% of respondents in March 2026 describing their experience as good or very good. People we spoke with were positive about the quality of their care and treatment. The results of National GP Patient Survey published in July 2025 showed people were generally satisfied with services, with scores in line with or above local and national averages. For example, the percentage of patients who responded positively to how easy it was to contact their GP practice on the phone was 47% compared to a national average of 53%. The percentage of patients who responded positively to having confidence and trust in their healthcare professional during their last appointment was 96% compared to the national average of 93%. Leaders advised the introduction of a total triage system had improved overall patient experience with access. There was an active patient participation group (PPG) who represented the views of people using the service. Representatives from the PPG described how they felt valued by the practice, were engaged and listened to by leaders.