- GP practice
Barrow Health Centre
Assessment report published 1 October 2026
Contents
Ratings
Our view of the service
Date of Assessment: 1 September 2026. Barrow Health Centre is a GP practice and delivers services to approximately 9,040 people under a contract held with NHS England. According to the latest available data, the ethnic make-up of the service area is approximately 95.5% White, 2% Asian, 1.8% Mixed, 0.4% Black and 0.3% Other. Information published by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities shows deprivation within the service population group is in the 10th decile (10 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 12 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. They assessed and managed the risk of infection well and took steps to control the risk of it spreading. There were enough staff with the right skills, qualifications and experience.
Staff prescribed, stored and administered medicines. Clinical searches found some inconsistencies in medicines monitoring and documentation processes. The service reviewed the findings and took prompt action, including completing additional patient reviews, strengthening monitoring arrangements and sharing learning across the practice.
Staff supported people to live healthier lives and monitored care and treatment to help ensure positive outcomes. Clinical searches demonstrated that care and treatment was delivered in line with evidence-based guidance. The provider monitored outcomes and used audit, recall systems and quality improvement activity to support patient safety and improve care.
Staff treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. Patient experience data demonstrated positive experiences of care and treatment.
The service had a clear vision and strategy, which considered the needs of the people using the service and the wider community. Staff understood their individual roles and responsibilities. Leaders demonstrated a commitment to continuous improvement and responded positively to the findings identified during the assessment. Following the clinical review, the service implemented additional governance and monitoring arrangements to strengthen oversight, improve documentation standards and support patient safety.
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 submitted through the National GP Patient Survey and information provided by the service.
People were generally positive about the quality of care and treatment they received. Results from the 2026 GP Patient Survey showed that 79% of respondents described their overall experience of the practice as good, compared with the national average of 77%. Survey results also showed that 88% of respondents felt healthcare professionals treated them with care and concern, compared with the national average of 86%. In addition, 87% of respondents felt listened to, in line with the national average of 87%, and 92% had confidence and trust in the healthcare professional they saw or spoke to, compared with the national average of 91%.
The practice had an active patient participation group and systems to gather and respond to patient feedback. Patients were supported to be involved in decisions about their care and treatment, with 93% of respondents reporting they were involved as much as they wanted to be in decisions about their care.