- GP practice
Bellingham Practice Also known as The Bellingham Practice
Assessment report published 6 October 2026
Contents
Ratings
Our view of the service
Bellingham Practice is a GP practice and delivers services to approximately 3,432 people under a contract held with NHS England. According to the latest available data, the ethnic make-up of the service area is approximately 98.9% White, 0.5% Asian, 0.4% Mixed, 0.0% 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 5th decile (5 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. 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.
Staff kept facilities clean and maintained equipment appropriately to ensure people were kept safe. Systems were in place to assess and manage risks, although improvements were needed in relation to some environmental and infection prevention and control risks. There were enough staff with the right skills, qualifications and experience.
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.
People could access care, treatment and support when they needed it. 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.
The service had a clear vision and strategy, which considered the needs of the people who used their service and the wider community. Staff understood their individual roles and responsibilities. Leaders supported staff and promoted a positive culture of learning and improvement. Governance processes were in place; however, these did not always provide effective oversight and assurance of risks, including environmental risks and the management of complaints.
People's experience of this service
As part of our assessment, we reviewed feedback from people who used the service to understand their views and experiences. This included feedback available through the 2026 National GP Patient Survey, the Friends and Family Test (FFT) and the Patient Participation Group (PPG). Feedback was positive about the quality of care and treatment and the kindness and compassion shown by staff. In the National GP Patient Survey, 90% of respondents reported a good overall experience of the practice, compared with the national average of 77%. Between January and June 2026, the practice received 956 FFT responses, with 98% to 99% positive feedback each month.
Feedback from the PPG was positive about the practice and described how concerns were listened to and acted on. For example, following concerns about poor lighting on the route to the patient toilet, the practice installed brighter lighting and adjusted the timer, so the lights remained on for longer. One suggestion for further improvement was for a GP partner to attend a PPG meeting occasionally to support greater engagement with practice leaders.