• Doctor
  • GP practice

St Mary’s Surgery

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

Applethwaite, Windermere, Cumbria, LA23 1BA (015394) 88484

Provided and run by:
Dr Roberts, Mr Eddy, Dr O’Sullivan, Dr Hughes, Dr Cook & Dr Halcrow & Dr Reddick

All Inspections

During an assessment under our new approach

Date of Assessment: 15 September 2026 to 23 September 2026. Dr Roberts, Mr Eddy, Dr O’Sullivan, Dr Hughes, Dr Cook Dr Halcrow, also known as St Marys Surgery, is a GP practice and dispensary that delivers service to 6620 patients under a contract held with NHS England. The practice operated an on-site dispensary for eligible patients living in rural areas. The practice also has a branch site Staveley Surgery that we inspected as part of this assessment.
The National General Practice Profiles states that 96.8% of patients are White, 1.1% Asian, and 2.1% Black, Mixed or 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.

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. Where they did not have capacity staff involved appropriate people in making best interest decisions.

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. The service was easy to access 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 and understood options around choosing to withdraw or not receive 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. 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 with staff given time and resources to try new ideas.
 

16 November 2015

During a routine inspection

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Dr Winter-Barker, Roberts, Stonehouse, O’Sullivan and Mr Eddy on 16 November 2015. Overall the practice is rated as good.

Our key findings across all the areas we inspected were as follows:

  • Staff understood and fulfilled their responsibilities to raise concerns, and report incidents and near misses.

  • All staff were actively engaged in activities to monitor and improve quality and outcomes for patients.

  • Risks to patients and staff were assessed and well managed.

  • Patients’ needs were assessed and care was planned and delivered following best practice guidance. Staff had received training appropriate to their roles and responsibilities.

  • The practice had satisfactory facilities and was equipped to treat patients and meet their needs at both sites. Plans had been made to improve access arrangements at the main practice site.

  • Staff were consistent and proactive in supporting patients to live healthier lives through a targeted approach to health promotion. Information was provided to patients to help them understand the care and treatment available to them.

  • There was a clear leadership structure and staff felt supported by the management team. Good governance arrangements were in place.

  • Staff had a clear vision for the development of the practice and were committed to providing their patients with good quality care.

  • Feedback from patients was positive about the way staff treated them. Patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect. Arrangements had been made which promoted and supported patients to become active partners in their care. However, the arrangements for preventing unauthorised access to patient related information could be improved.
  • Information about how to complain was available and easy to understand.

    W e also saw areas of outstanding practice:

  • The NHS GP Patient Survey results showed the practice had performed very well in all areas , especially in relation to patient satisfaction with the quality of GP and nurse consultations, staff’s commitment to providing patients with good continuity of care and access to appointments.

  • Following feedback from the local NHS Trust, the practice improved how it delivered services to patients with dermatological conditions. In 2014, a GP partner completed a diploma in Dermatology. They saw the practice’s own patients who had dermatological needs as well as patients from other practices. There was evidence that this had had a very positive impact on the way in which the needs of these patients were managed. For example, the referral rate to secondary specialist services had reduced from 198 patients, in 2014, to 80 for the same period in 2015, which meant more patients benefitted from receiving care and treatment closer to home.

  • A named GP provided a fortnightly ‘ward round’ at a local care home for patients with complex healthcare needs. This helped to pre-empt any potential health problems. These patients were also able to access same-day urgent care, from the same GP.

  • The practice participated in the ‘Unplanned Admissions’ enhanced service and had identified 2% of patients who were at greater risk of hospitalisation. Arrangements had been made to carry out reviews of the needs of these patients and provide feedback to the clinical team each month. Staff also reviewed the needs of patients who had been admitted into hospital to identify whether this could have been prevented. Recent local Clinical Commissioning Group data showed that unplanned admissions into hospital had reduced by 12.7% and that the practice had the second lowest level of unplanned admissions for the most recent month.

In addition, the provider should:

  • Consider using a second thermometer to check the accuracy of the temperature readings displayed on the thermometer installed in the dispensary refrigerator. The provider should also arrange for annual calibration checks to be carried out of the thermometer installed in the dispensary refrigerator.

  • Provide the member of staff designated as the practice’s infection control lead with advanced infection control training.

  • Make sure that patient related information is kept secure at all times and can only be accessed by authorised persons.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice