- GP practice
Valley Medical Centre
Assessment report published 21 October 2026
Contents
Ratings
Our view of the service
Date of Assessment: 15 September 2026.
Valley Medical Centre is a GP practice which delivers services to approximately 9,500 patients under a contract held with NHS England.
According to the latest available data, the ethnic make-up of the practice area is approximately 97% White, 0.8% Asian, 0.7% Black, 1.1% Mixed, and 0.3% Other. Information published by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities shows deprivation within the practice population group is in the 6th decile (6 of 10). The lower the decile, the more deprived the practice 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 practice, the context the practice was working within and how this impacted practice delivery. Where relevant, further commentary is provided in the quality statements section of this report.
Safe
Leaders kept facilities clean and maintained equipment appropriately to ensure people were kept safe. Staff 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.
Effective
Staff supported patients to live healthier lives, monitoring their care and treatment to ensure they received positive and consistent outcomes.
Caring
Staff treated patients with kindness, empathy and compassion. They respected people’s privacy and dignity.
Responsive
Patients could access care, treatment and support when they needed it. Leaders and staff were alert to discrimination and inequality that could disadvantage groups of patients who used the practice. They sought ways to address any barriers.
Well-led
The practice had a clear vision and strategy which considered the needs of the patients who used their practice and the wider community. Staff understood their individual roles and responsibilities. Leaders accounted for the actions, behaviours and performance of staff through clear and effective governance processes.
People's experience of this service
As part of our assessment, we reviewed feedback from patients who used the practice to understand their views and experience. This included speaking with patients using the practice at the time of our assessment and reviewing other feedback available to us. We reviewed recent information shared by Healthwatch (an organisation which acts as a champion for people using health and social care services). We did not identify any concerning issues or trends.
Patients were mostly positive about the quality of their care and treatment from Valley Medical Centre. They described how staff are helpful, understanding, knowledgeable, and show care and concern towards their patients. Most patients told us they could get an appointment when they needed one.
This feedback was mirrored in the results of the national GP Patient Survey (2026). It showed 73% of respondents were offered a choice of time or day when they last tried to make an appointment at Valley Medical Centre. This was significantly higher than the national (57%) and local (60%) result. The survey also showed 85% of respondents described their overall experience of Valley Medical Centre as good. This was higher than the national and local result of 77%.
Practice staff regularly met with members of the patient participation group (PPG). Staff updated the PPG on key developments. Members from the PPG confirmed they were kept informed of any issues which may affect patients. They told us the PPG was a valuable tool which enabled them to contribute their ideas to Valley Medical Centre.