Stephenson Park Health Group

Date of Assessment: 21 May 2026 to 27 May 2026. Stephenson Park Health Group is a GP practice and delivers service to approximately 17,676 patients under a contract held with NHS England. The practice operates across 3 sites: Forest Hall, White Swan, and Garden Park. The National General Practice Profiles states that 20.7% of patients are aged 65 years or over, compared with the England average of 18%. Information published by Office for Health Improvement and Disparities shows that deprivation within the practice population group is in the 5th decile (5 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 was a focused assessment carried out as a follow-up to the previous assessment conducted in March 2025, when the service was rated good overall but received a requires improvement rating under the key question of Safe. At that time, a breach of safe care and treatment was identified. The purpose of this follow-up assessment was to evaluate the progress made in addressing the identified concerns and to determine whether the necessary improvements had been implemented to ensure compliance.

The service had a good learning culture where staff felt able to raise concerns, and managers investigated incidents appropriately. People were protected from avoidable harm, and staff understood how to identify and manage risks.

The facilities and equipment generally met the needs of people, were clean and well maintained, and risks were mitigated where identified. There were enough staff with the right skills, qualifications and experience to meet people’s needs. Improvements had been made to staff support arrangements, including regular appraisals and strengthened oversight of staff competence.

Systems for the management of medicines had improved, particularly in relation to monitoring high-risk medicines, supporting the delivery of safer care.

However, some improvements were still required, particularly in relation to infection prevention and control (IPC) arrangements and providing assurance of staff immunisation status in line with national guidance.

Since the last assessment, the practice had made improvements and is no longer in breach of safe care and treatment.

Date of Assessment: 17 March 2025 to 19 March 2025. Forrest Hall Medical Group, also known as Stephenson Park Health Group, is a GP practice and provides General Medical Services (GMS) under a locally agreed contract with NHS England to approximately 17,800 patients. The practice operates across three sites: Forrest Hall, White Swan, and Garden Park. The practice's deprivation score is 7 (1 = most deprived, 10 = least). This assessment considered patient demographics, context the service was working within and how this impacted service delivery. This was a responsive assessment conducted due to age-related ratings and associated risks.

The service demonstrated a strong learning culture where concerns were raised, and incidents were thoroughly investigated. Staff managed risks well, and facilities were clean and well-maintained. However, there were areas requiring improvement, particularly in relation to staffing and medicines management.

Staff considered individuals’ communication, personal, and health needs, collaborating with other agencies for smooth transitions and better outcomes. They ensured people understood their care to give informed consent and involved key individuals in best-interest decisions when needed. However, monitoring of long-term conditions required improvement.

People received fair and equal care and treatment. The service worked to reduce health and care inequalities through training and feedback.

Some governance processes needed improvement, particularly in appraisals, communication, and strategy. However, leaders were supportive and engaged, fostering staff development and a culture of continuous improvement.

We found 1 breach of regulation in relation to safe care and treatment, specifically in medicine management and safe staffing. We asked the provider for an action plan in response to the concerns found at this assessment.