Eve Hill Medical Practice

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 Outstanding. At this assessment, the rating remains the same.

This service scored 96 (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 demonstrated an exceptional and clear vision, strategy, and culture, firmly rooted in transparency, equity, equality, human rights, and a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion. This vision was underpinned by meaningful engagement and a deep, evidence-based understanding of the challenges faced by their population and the evolving needs of the communities they served. Staff worked collaboratively to develop the practice’s vision and mission statement, which was clearly displayed throughout the practice, reinforcing a consistent and embedded culture that guided daily practice and decision making. The strategy was regularly reviewed to ensure it remained responsive to both current pressures and future demand. Leaders demonstrated a forward thinking approach, recognising projected population growth and working collaboratively with partner agencies to proactively plan for and address emerging challenges.

There was a highly effective and embedded approach to succession planning, integrated into both day-to-day operations and the long term workforce. As a well established training and teaching practice, there was a strong emphasis on developing and creating a sustainable workforce. This included expanding partnerships with educational providers, such as the introduction of Nursing Students.

Staff development was a clear priority, supported through structured training programmes, apprenticeships, and continuous professional development opportunities. This resulted in a strong internal set of skilled staff, with over half of the administrative workforce having progressed through apprenticeship routes. The practice also demonstrated workforce modelling, actively developing multidisciplinary roles such as Nursing Associates and GP Assistants to enhance capacity, retain skills, and improve patient care.

Leadership resilience and sustainability were evident, with key roles supported by deputies or shared responsibilities. This ensured that knowledge was not concentrated in individuals and that the service remained safe, consistent, and effective during periods of absence or transition.

Communication and engagement across the team were highly effective. There were multiple, well-established forums for sharing information and learning, including dedicated practice updates for staff, regular team meetings, whole team learning events, and structured Quality and Safety meetings. The practice used a centralised platform to ensure full transparency and accessibility, where all key documents, audits, learning from events, and complaints were shared openly, embedding a culture of continuous learning and collective accountability.

Overall, the service demonstrated an outstanding culture and strategic direction, acting as a role model within the wider system through its proactive workforce planning, inclusive leadership, and commitment to collaboration, learning, and continuous improvement.

The service demonstrated exceptional, inclusive leadership at all levels, with leaders having a comprehensive understanding of the context in which care, treatment, and support were delivered. They consistently embodied the values and culture of the organisation, promoting equity, inclusion, and high-quality care. Leaders were highly skilled, knowledgeable, and experienced, with the credibility to lead effectively and inspire confidence across the workforce. Their approach to leadership was characterised by integrity, openness, and honesty, fostering a culture of trust, transparency, and psychological safety.

Leaders were widely recognised as forward thinking, not only within the practice but across the wider health system. They actively contributed to the improvement of services beyond their own organisation, sharing learning, best practice, and innovative approaches with other practices and services across the locality. This outward facing approach reinforced their role as a system leader in primary care.

Staff consistently described leaders as approachable, visible, and responsive. They reported feeling listened to and supported, with concerns addressed promptly and constructively. Leaders were seen to “live” the values of the organisation, modelling behaviours that promoted respect, collaboration, and continuous improvement throughout the team.

The leadership team demonstrated strong partnership working, engaging proactively with other practices within the Primary Care Network (PCN) and playing a key role in the development and transformation of primary care services across the local area. Their collaborative approach ensured that services were aligned, innovative, and responsive to the needs of the population, further strengthening the shared vision and culture of the organisation.

The service fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard.

The practice had clear policies and procedures accessible to all staff, for example, there was a whistleblowing, equality and diversity and duty of candour policy in place and a nominated freedom to speak up guardian in the practice and externally to support staff if they wanted to raise an issue. Leaders told us they encouraged the reporting of incidents to identify ways in which the practice could continually improve.

The service strongly valued diversity in their workforce and these principles were fully embedded within its culture, workforce practices, and daily operations. There was a genuinely inclusive and fair environment where staff regardless of role, background, or working pattern felt valued, respected, and supported.

Leaders had implemented transparent and fair systems to ensure equal access to development opportunities, with many staff progressing into lead roles. There was a clear and consistent message of zero tolerance towards discrimination, reinforced through robust policies, regular training, and visible leadership commitment. Equality, diversity, inclusion, and human rights were fully integrated across recruitment, training, and organisational culture and staff consistently reported high levels of satisfaction, describing a workplace where they felt proud to work, listened to, and actively involved in shaping the service. All staff we either spoke with or received questionnaires from, told us they felt valued and were encouraged to be involved in contributing to the running of the practice

Leaders undertook reviews of staff pay, incorporating analysis of the gender pay gap and age-related disparities to ensure fairness, transparency, and equity across the workforce. Learning and development opportunities were actively encouraged, contributing to a motivated and engaged workforce.

Practical and meaningful adjustments were made to support staff needs, including flexible working arrangements and tailored equipment such as standing desks and IT adaptations. Training in equality, diversity, inclusion, and LGBTQ+ awareness was in place, supporting a respectful, inclusive culture. Overall, the service fostered an environment where diversity was celebrated, and all staff were enabled to thrive.

The service had clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability and good governance. They used these to manage and deliver high-quality, sustainable care, treatment and support. They always act on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, and share this securely with others when appropriate.

Leaders demonstrated highly effective, visible, and compassionate leadership, fostering a strong and embedded culture of openness, accountability, and continuous improvement. There was a clear, ambitious vision and strategy for delivering high-quality, sustainable care, which was consistently understood and embraced by staff at all levels. Roles and responsibilities were clearly defined, supported by robust governance frameworks and strong systems of accountability that ensured safe, effective, and well-coordinated service delivery.

Governance arrangements were both robust and innovative, reflecting a forward-thinking and proactive approach to quality and safety. For example, in March 2026, the practice introduced an enhanced system to strengthen oversight of patient recalls and improve long-term condition management. This system ensured recalls were fully visible, actively monitored, and consistently managed, leading to improved safety and continuity of care. It also supported a more efficient and patient-centred approach by reducing unnecessary appointments and combining care into fewer, more meaningful interactions, improving both patient experience and clinical outcome. At the time of our assessment this system was currently being embedded.

The service promoted a transparent, learning focused culture in which safety was a top priority. There was a strong emphasis on learning, innovation and improvement. Governance and performance management systems were continuously reviewed to ensure alignment with best practice, and learning. Audits demonstrated a proactive approach to identifying opportunities for further development. Where improvements were identified, timely and effective action was taken, resulting in sustained enhancements to service delivery.

Leaders and managers created a supportive and inclusive environment where staff felt valued and clear about their responsibilities. Regular appraisals, supervision and performance reviews contributed to professional development and accountability, and there was evidence of a positive, collaborative team culture.

The provider demonstrated a highly effective approach to governance, using a wide range of data sources to monitor performance and quality. This information was routinely shared, openly discussed, and used to drive improvement through structured practice learning events and dedicated Quality and Safety meetings. Key areas of focus included incidents, near misses, patient feedback, complaints and compliments, inherent risks, patient care and treatment outcomes, and the implementation of best practice.

Learning was further enhanced through the inclusion of external speakers, who contributed specialist knowledge and provided insight to support the practice in continually improving outcomes for patients.

Oversight mechanisms were comprehensive and well embedded, ensuring consistency, resilience, and organisational stability. Governance was fully integrated into day-to-day operations, enabling leaders to identify emerging risks, and respond proactively.

The service demonstrated a particularly strong and proactive approach to addressing health inequalities, effectively managing demand, and improving outcomes for its population. Data driven insights were consistently used to inform decision making.

Leaders and managers encouraged positive accountability and sustainable improvement across the organisation. Patient confidentiality and information security were well understood and taken seriously by staff.

The service clearly understood and carried out their duty to collaborate and work in partnership, and services worked seamlessly for people. They always share information and learning with partners and collaborate for improvement.

The provider worked with other practices within their primary care network (PCN) to offer extended access, and flu programmes. Staff had made adjustments to improve coordination of their service with community healthcare services, including established weekly multidisciplinary (MDT’s) centred on the care of those at higher risk of hospital admission.

The practice demonstrated strong partnership working at both local and system level. Following achievement of Level 4 maturity across all domains within the Modern General Practice framework (August 2023), the practice was recognised as a peer support and exemplar site, supporting other practices through the national model, sharing practical, learning tailored to the needs of individual practices, demographics, and populations.

The practice maintained strong and effective relationships across a wide range of partners including PCN practices, community and secondary care, public health, research networks, voluntary care sector organisations, and the ICB. The practice sought stakeholder feedback to identify opportunities for improvement in its engagement with external services. The responses were overwhelmingly positive, with 100% of respondents providing positive feedback and 91% rating the practice as excellent.

Stakeholders described the practice as collaborative, innovative, and responsive, highlighting strong MDT working, clear communication, and a willingness to share expertise and pilot new initiatives to support system wide improvement.

The practice played an active and influential role in wider system development, contributing to programmes led by the Black Country ICB including digital transformation, workforce development, access improvement, and reducing health inequalities. They frequently acted as an early adopter site, testing new models of care and providing detailed feedback to support wider rollout and reduce variation across the system.

The practice’s commitment to education, training, and research further strengthened partnerships, with leadership roles supporting workforce development across the region. This included delivering structured training programmes for non-clinical staff and practice managers, as well as contributing to system wide learning events and webinars.

Patient partnership was equally strong, with an active and engaged PPG contributing to service improvement and, more recently, participating in Quality and Safety meetings.

The service demonstrated an outstanding commitment to continuous learning, research, innovation, and improvement, driven by strong leadership. There was a clear emphasis on embedding a culture where innovation was encouraged, celebrated, and translated into improvements in care delivery both within the practice and across the wider system. Staff were empowered and held accountable for delivering change, with a proactive approach to identifying and implementing new ways of working.

The practice fostered continuous professional development across all staff groups, with clear evidence of internal career progression, including staff advancing into lead roles and moving from administrative to management positions. The ongoing development of skills, knowledge, and competence was seen as essential to delivering high-quality, safe care, improving access, and supporting long-term sustainability. Staff were actively supported to acquire new skills and share best practice.

The practice played a significant role in system wide improvement and leadership. Leaders contributed to key regional and system forums, influencing the development of primary care services, digital innovation, and workforce development. Their expertise was recognised externally, with senior staff delivering training and development programmes across the region and supporting other practices to improve.

As a well-established training practice, they worked closely with partner organisations to support the development of future healthcare professionals, including GP registrars, foundation doctors, medical students, and planned nursing placements. Research was also a key strength, with leadership involvement at regional level and a sustained track record of delivering a large and diverse research portfolio, including national and international studies. The practice had recently secured funding to expand its research, which would be used to develop 2 additional consulting rooms, enhancing capacity to deliver research activity and support continued innovation.

Sustainability and environmental responsibility were embedded within the practice’s strategic and operational planning. Initiatives, such as energy efficient lighting, waste reduction and recycling, and the preservation of green spaces, reflected a proactive approach to minimising environmental impact. These efforts were aligned with broader organisational priorities, including digital innovation, workforce wellbeing, and equitable patient care, all fully integrated within governance and decision-making processes.