Sunlight Group Practice Also known as Parkfield Medical Centre

On this page

• Overview
• Shared direction and culture
• Capable, compassionate and inclusive leaders
• Freedom to speak up
• Workforce equality, diversity and inclusion
• Governance, management and sustainability
• Partnerships and communities
• Learning, improvement and innovation

We assessed all quality statements from this key question. The rating given is Good.

Leaders, managers, and governance teams supported the delivery of high-quality, person-centred care. They put clear systems in place to ensure staff delivered care safely and effectively. Leaders demonstrated capability, compassion, and inclusivity, and they maintained a strong focus on workforce equality. Staff understood their roles and those of their colleagues, with clear lines of accountability. Most staff told us they felt well supported in their roles.

The organisation maintained an open and honest culture. Leaders informed staff about how to raise concerns and fostered confidence that any issues would be heard and addressed. However, not all staff reported feeling included or listened to.

Leaders promoted learning and innovation and demonstrated a good understanding of the challenges facing the service, particularly in relation to quality and sustainability.

They used information effectively to monitor and improve care. However, some aspects of record-keeping and data management required improvement. We raised these issues during the assessment, and the practice responded openly and promptly, taking immediate action to address them.

This service scored 71 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The service had a shared vision, strategy, and culture that promoted transparency, inclusion, and engagement. Leaders understood the needs and challenges of their local population and worked with partner organisations to support people effectively.

Staff described a shared commitment to delivering a high-quality, patient-centred service that responded to people’s needs. Those we spoke with felt positive about working at the practice. However, staff survey responses were less positive, particularly around workplace relationships and culture. Despite this, staff recognised that the practice had been on a journey of improvement following the merger two years earlier and felt that things had improved. They spoke of good teamwork and a clear focus on acting in the best interests of patients and providing the best possible experience.

Regular meetings had been held for clinical staff, although these were less consistent for non-clinical staff. Members of the clinical team told us that communication was generally effective, but wider discussions showed that further improvement was needed to ensure all staff received the right information at the right time in the right way.

The service had a shared vision, strategy, and culture that promoted transparency, inclusion, and engagement.
Leaders understood the needs and challenges of their local population and worked with partner organisations to support people effectively.

Staff described a shared commitment to delivering a high-quality, patient-centred service that responded to people’s needs. Those we spoke with felt positive about working at the practice. However, staff survey responses were less positive, particularly around workplace relationships and culture. Despite this, staff recognised that the practice had been on a journey of improvement following the merger two years earlier and felt that things had improved. They spoke of good teamwork and a clear focus on acting in the best interests of patients and providing the best possible experience.

Regular meetings had been held for clinical staff, although these were less consistent for non-clinical staff. Members of the clinical team told us that communication was generally effective, but wider discussions showed that further improvement was needed to ensure all staff received the right information at the right time in the right way.

The practice had appointed a Freedom to Speak Up Guardian within the practice who was not part of the leadership team. Staff told us they knew how to raise concerns, felt confident in doing so, and believed their concerns would be taken seriously. Leaders stated that they encouraged staff to speak up, promoted a culture of openness, and had policies and procedures in place to support this.There was also a designated individual external to the practice whom staff could approach if needed.

The provider valued diversity within the workforce and actively promoted an inclusive and fair culture by supporting equality and diversity among staff. Reasonable adjustments were made to help staff carry out their roles effectively. The provider supported staff with caring responsibilities through flexible working arrangements and adjusted schedules to meet their needs. Staff had completed training in equality, diversity, and inclusion and demonstrated awareness of how to support individuals with protected characteristics, such as age, gender, religion, and disability. There were no concerns reported regarding workforce equality at any level, including recruitment. The practice had an established equality, diversity, and inclusion policy in place.

There were clear and effective arrangements in place for governance, management, and accountability.
The provider used performance data to monitor outcomes and drive improvement. All staff we spoke with understood their individual roles and responsibilities.

Managers held regular meetings with staff to carry out appraisals, supervision and performance reviews. The practice also ran a regular programme of clinical system searches to identify patient needs, and our review of clinical records showed that this process was mostly effective.

Staff had access to up-to-date policies and procedures and demonstrated an understanding of patient confidentiality and information security.

There were systems in place to identify, manage, and mitigate risks, and the provider had a major incident plan. Governance processes were appropriate to the scope and scale of the service.

However, we identified some areas for improvement, including learning from events and complaints, internal communication, document management around recruitment and training. During the assessment, we were assured that the provider took these issues seriously and had taken prompt action to address them.

The provider demonstrated a clear commitment to collaboration and partnership working to ensure services operated seamlessly for patients. They shared information and learning with partners and engaged in joint initiatives to drive improvement. The provider worked with other practices within their primary care network to deliver extended access services and to coordinate flu and vaccination programmes. They also collaborated effectively with external stakeholders, commissioners, and partner agencies to provide and enhance service delivery. The Patient Participation Group (PPG) worked with the practice to actively improve services for patients. Most recent discussions were around access and inclusivity and there was a plan in place to support patients with the online access services and navigating the website.

The provider maintained a strong focus on continuous learning and improvement across the service. Many GPs within the practice held specialist interests and had led the development of services to support people with mental health needs, drug and alcohol addiction, homelessness, adult ADHD, and other complex needs. They also contributed to both local and national research and learning initiatives.

There were established processes within the clinical team and the GP trainees for sharing learning from incidents and ensuring that actions were taken to improve the service and prevent recurrence.

Several GP partners and salaried GPs had special interests in areas such as women’s and children’s health, musculoskeletal conditions and sports injuries, minor surgery, health promotion, cancer, and palliative care.

One of the GP partners held the role of Medical Director for NHS Wirral Health and Care Commissioning, while another served as Chair of the Local Medical Committee, demonstrating strong clinical leadership and external influence.

The provider worked collaboratively with stakeholders to improve the experience of people using the service and to contribute to developments within the wider health community. Leaders described maintaining strong external partnerships that supported innovation and service development.

The practice was a recognised training centre, with 10 GP trainers and over 20 GP trainees at the time of inspection. Trainees reported that working alongside a large group of peers enhanced their experience. Feedback from both trainees and the deanery was consistently positive.

A practice-employed pharmacist conducted structured medication reviews and supported patients with complex needs. They were nominated for an award in recognition of their patient-centred, research-led approach to managing heart failure and cardiovascular disease at local, regional, and national levels.