The Care Quality Commission
  • Doctor
  • GP practice

Saddleworth Medical Practice

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

Smithy Lane, Uppermill, Oldham, Lancashire, OL3 6AH (01457) 872228

Provided and run by:
Saddleworth Medical Practice

All Inspections

During an assessment under our new approach

Date of Assessment:14 April 2026. Saddleworth Medical Practice is a GP practice and delivers services to approximately 13973 people under a contract held with NHS England. The provider also delivers services at a branch surgery in nearby Delph. According to the latest available data, the ethnic make-up of the service area is approximately 96.6% White, 1.1% Asian, 1.7% Mixed, 0.3% Black and 0.2% Other. Information published by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities shows deprivation within the service population group is in the 8th decile (8 of 10). The lower the decile, the more deprived the service 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 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: Staff kept facilities clean and maintained equipment appropriately to ensure people were kept safe. They 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 people to live healthier lives, monitoring their care and treatment to ensure they received positive and consistent outcomes.

CARING: Staff treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion, and respected their privacy and dignity.

RESPONSIVE: People could access care, treatment and support when they needed it. Leaders and staff were alert to discrimination and inequality that could disadvantage groups of people who used the service and sought ways to address any barriers.

WELL-LED: The service had a clear vision and strategy, which considered the needs of the people who used their service 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.

ate of Assessment:14 April 2026. Saddleworth Medical Practice is a GP practice and delivers services to approximately 13973 people under a contract held with NHS England. The provider also deliver

16/08/2017

During an inspection looking at part of the service

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Saddleworth Medical Practice on 12 May 2016. The overall rating for the practice was good, with a rating of requires improvement in the safe domain. The full comprehensive report on the May 2016 inspection can be found by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Saddleworth Medical Practice on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

This inspection was an announced focused inspection carried out on 16 August 2017 to confirm that the practice had carried out their plan to meet the legal requirements in relation to the breach in regulation that we identified in our previous inspection on 12 May 2016. This report covers our findings in relation to those requirements.

Overall the practice is rated as good.

Our key findings were as follows:

  • All required pre-employment checks were being carried out.

  • The registration of clinicians with the appropriate professional bodies was regularly checked.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

12/05/2016

During a routine inspection

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Saddleworth Medical Practice on 12 May 2016. 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 to report incidents and near misses.
  • Risks to patients were usually assessed and well managed, with the exception of those relating to recruitment checks.
  • Data showed patient outcomes were comparable to the national average. Regular audit cycles were carried out.
  • Patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect.
  • Some patients said that appointments were difficult to access, but most said they could access an appointment in an emergency.

  • Information about services at the practice and locally was available.

  • There was an established patient participation group (PPG) that met regularly and provided support for the practice and patients.

We saw some areas of outstanding practice:

  • The practice had a youth worker (a member of the patient participation group) who attended the local high school to speak to patients about healthcare needs. This included explaining what services were available, and ensuring young people understood their right to a confidential consultation where appropriate. This made the service more accessible to the wider population.

  • The practice had a very active PPG that was integrated in the practice and the community. They had set up a carers’ group offering companionship, advice and trips to carers and those they cared for, and the group met in a local venue away from the practice. The PPG was active in keeping patients very well informed, and in arranging for other services to visit the practice and the area. This was particularly helpful as the practice was in a rural community and some services were several miles away.

  • When a patient was receiving end of life care GPs supported them during evenings and weekends to provide continuity of care. They provided families with their mobile telephone numbers. Most partners lived within the practice boundaries.

The areas where the provider must make improvements are:

  • The provider must ensure that all appropriate pre-employment checks are completed, and regular checks of professional registration are carried out.

In addition the provider should:

  • Display a warning sign on the door of rooms containing oxygen cylinders.

  • Put in place a system to ensure checks such as for fire extinguishers are carried out at the correct intervals.

  • Put a system in place to record all complaints, including verbal complaints. All responses should be recorded. Patients should be informed what action they could take if they were not happy with how their complaint had been handled.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice