During an assessment under our new approach
Date of Assessment: 13 January 2026 to 13 March 2026. The Grove Medical Centre is a GP practice and delivers service to 6,421 patients under a contract held with NHS England. The service is part of Walthamstow West primary care network (PCN) in Waltham Forest. Information published by Office for Health Improvement and Disparities shows that deprivation within the practice population group is in the fourth decile (4 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. This is the first assessment for this provider under our new ways of reporting.
The service has been rated requires improvement overall, as well as in the key questions safe and well-led. This rating reflects concerns that care and treatment were not consistently delivered in line with evidence-based guidelines, and systems were not effective in identifying, mitigating and monitoring risk related to patients and staff including health and safety.The provider has been issued with an action plan and is required to inform us of the steps taken to address these areas for improvement.
SAFE:There had been efforts to promote a proactive and positive safety culture, supported by openness and honesty. Incidents had been investigated and reported. Lessons learned were used to inform practice. However, we identified areas where systems and processes had not always been reliable or appropriate to keep people safe.Safety risks to people using the service had not always been identified and/or mitigated. This included ensuring that the premises were safe for use. Managers had not always made sure staff had received training or annual appraisals to support high-quality care. Medicines were generally well managed, and people were involved in decisions about changes. However, staff did not always complete required blood tests and physical health checks before reviews or issuing prescriptions.The provider acknowledged these findings and stated that key processes have been reviewed and reinforced since the assessment.
EFFECTIVE: Staff had not always followed prescribing protocols and guidance to ensure assessments were up-to-date and people’s care needs were routinely reviewed. Staff worked with all agencies involved in people’s care for the best outcomes and smooth transitions when moving between services. Staff mostly made sure people understood their care and treatment to enable them to give informed consent. Staff involved those important to people took decisions in people’s best interests where they did not have capacity.
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 leaders had not always recognised and supported staff wellbeing.
RESPONSIVE: Peoples feedback demonstrated the practice was accessible and they were supported to make informed decisions about their care. The service had developed accurate and up-to-date information to ensure patient access and that their specific needs were met. People were given support to plans for important life changes, so they could make informed decisions about their future, including at the end of their life.
WELL-LED: Leadership was visible, knowledgeable, and supportive. Staff felt safe to give feedback. Roles and responsibilities were well understood. Managers engaged with the local community to improve care and welcomed innovation. Leaders used reliable data on risk, performance, and outcomes. However, processes, and systems to support good governance were in place but not fully embedded into practice. The leaders had not ensured that staff always followed prescribing policies and evidence-based guidelines. Systems were not effective in identifying, mitigating and monitoring risk related to patients and staff including health and safety. Managers had not met with staff regularly to complete appraisals and performance reviews. Since this assessment, the provider informed us of improvements they were making in response to our findings. We will review these at our next assessment.