Valley Road Surgery

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 looked for evidence that service leadership, management and governance assured high-quality, person-centred care; supported learning and innovation; and promoted an open, fair culture
At our last assessment, we rated this key question as Good. At this assessment, the rating remains the same.
 

This service scored 75 (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. This was based on transparency, equity, equality and human rights, diversity and inclusion, engagement, and understanding challenges and the needs of people and their communities. Staff reported that the practice was friendly and patient centred and had a good team ethos. Staff explained leaders were approachable and very supportive.
All staff had contributed to the development of the practice vision and strategy, which was kept under review. The practice was aware of the projected increase in the local population and was working with partner agencies to address future challenges.
 

The service had inclusive leaders at all levels who understood the context in which they delivered care, treatment and support and embodied the culture and values of their workforce and organisation. Leaders had the skills, knowledge, experience and credibility to lead effectively. They did so with integrity, openness and honesty.
Staff told us leaders in the practice was approachable and responded to any concerns raised. Staff also told us leaders modelled the values of the practice. We saw the leadership team worked with other practices in the primary care network and were engaged in the development of primary care services within the local area.
 

The service fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard.
The practice had established Freedom to Speak up arrangements with other practices in the primary care network. Staff were aware of how to raise concerns, all staff we communicated with knew who the freedom to speak up guardian was.
 

The service valued diversity in their workforce. They work towards an inclusive and fair culture by improving equality and equity for people who work for them.
Policies and procedures to promote diversity and equality were in place. We saw senior leaders had addressed concerns related to discrimination. Adjustments had been made to ensure all staff were valued. Leaders understood requirements to ensure reasonable adjustments were made for staff who needed them. A staff member informed us of adjustments that had been made to accommodate them and make their work life easier.
 

The service had clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability and good governance. They used these to manage and deliver good quality, sustainable care, treatment and support. They act on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, and share this securely with others when appropriate. Clinical audits were carried out to monitor quality, identify areas for improvement, and ensure that patient care remained evidence based. Findings were shared within the team, and learning was embedded into daily practice.
Leaders and managers supported staff, and all staff we spoke with were clear on their individual roles and responsibilities. Staff we communicated with knew who the relevant lead person was for areas such as safeguarding, infection control, complaints and significant events monitoring.
Managers met with staff regularly to complete appraisals and performance reviews. The provider had established governance processes that were appropriate for their service. Staff could access all required policies and procedures. Managers held regular practice meetings with staff, during which they discussed clinical concerns and emerging risks. Managers clearly recorded any actions arising from these meetings and ensured they shared these with staff. Staff took patient confidentiality and information security seriously.
 

The service understood their duty to collaborate and work in partnership, so services work seamlessly for people. They share information and learning with partners and collaborate for improvement.
The provider worked with other practices within their primary care network to offer extended access, and flu and covid vaccination programmes. Staff had made adjustments to improve coordination of their service with community healthcare services, including through recently established weekly meetings centred on the care of those at higher risk of hospital admission.
The practice worked with the patient participation group (PPG), they held face to face meetings every 6-8 weeks. They were working on developing wider community engagement, such as working with local schools, they also produced a newsletter which was published twice a year.
 

The service focused on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation and local system. They encouraged creative ways of delivering equality of experience, outcome and quality of life for people. They actively contribute to safe, effective practice and research.
The practice had a quality improvement plan in place to help drive improvements in services. This focussed on the appointment system. All staff were encouraged to put forward and test out new ways of working, and we saw examples of the nursing staff.
We saw the practice had positive engagement with some of the local primary and secondary schools, for example they participated in a community event in June 2026. With a local secondary school who they worked collaboratively with by inviting patients to attend the school for an afternoon of games, music and students also held an art exhibition.
The practice was also working on developing other engagement ideas such as local walks, however at the time of the inspection this had not been implemented.