Blackhall & Peterlee 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 the provider’s leadership, management and governance assured high-quality, person-centred care and promoted an open and fair culture. At our last assessment, we rated this key question as good. At this assessment, the rating remains the same.

This service scored 75 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The provider had a shared vision, strategy and culture. This was based on transparency, equity, equality, human rights, diversity, inclusion and engagement. Staff and leaders understood the challenges and the needs of people and their communities.

The practice aimed to deliver high-quality, safe care, promote health and wellbeing, work in partnership with patients, support staff development, provide a safe and welcoming environment, and continuously improve services while remaining financially sustainable. Leaders told us this vision was regularly discussed at team meetings to ensure it remained central to the practice's work, and progress against strategic objectives was routinely monitored and reviewed.

Leaders were aware of local challenges which affected their service, such as the projected increase in the local population over the coming years and worked with partner agencies to address these challenges. Leaders also engaged with patients through a PPG which met quarterly to provide feedback and contribute to service development.

Team meetings provided opportunities for learning, reflection and staff support, including discussions following significant events and challenging incidents. Practice meetings were attended by clinical and management staff, with a representative from the reception or administrative team also participating. This ensured that the views and experiences of non-clinical staff were included in discussions and decision-making. Meeting minutes were shared with all staff to promote communication, learning and engagement across the practice.

Staff and leaders actively promoted equality and diversity and worked to identify and address workforce inequalities. Staff were highly motivated and consistently reported feeling well supported by leaders. The practice demonstrated a strong culture of training, learning and professional development, reflected in the progression of staff into new and enhanced roles. At the time of the assessment, 1 member of the reception team had progressed to healthcare assistant and nursing associate roles and was undertaking training to become a practice nurse. In addition, 2 reception staff were developing into healthcare assistant roles, 1 practice nurse was training as an Advanced Clinical Practitioner (ACP), and another had recently qualified as an independent nurse prescriber.

The practice was a GP training practice and demonstrated a strong commitment to developing future healthcare professionals. It supported the training of GP registrars, medical students and GP supervisors. At the time of the assessment, there were 6 GP registrars in post, 3 accredited GP supervisors and 1 GP undertaking supervisor training. The practice also had a GP trainer qualified to train and develop other GPs to become supervisors. These arrangements demonstrated a well-established approach to workforce development, succession planning and the ongoing development of both current and future members of the healthcare workforce.The practice's commitment to education and training was reflected in external recognition. Within the Durham and Tees Valley GP Training Programme, Dr Kamal Sidhu was awarded Trainer of the Year 2026, an accolade nominated and voted for by GP trainees.

We did not look at Capable, compassionate and inclusive leaders during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Well-led.

We did not look at Freedom to speak up during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Well-led.

We did not look at Workforce equality, diversity and inclusion during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Well-led.

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

All staff we spoke with were clear about their individual roles and responsibilities. Staff told us the leaders had an “open-door” policy and were responsive and available to provide support when needed. Leaders proactively supported staff and regularly met with them to complete appraisals and performance reviews. There was a strong emphasis on staff wellbeing throughout the organisation, reflected in the practice's vision and supported through its leadership approach and engagement with staff.

The provider had established governance processes in relation to the quality statements we reviewed during this assessment, which were appropriate for their service. Staff had access to all required policies and procedures, which were kept up to date and reflected latest guidance.

Leaders held regular meetings with staff, during which they discussed emerging risks and potential improvements to the provider. Leaders clearly recorded any actions that arose from these meetings and shared these with staff.

Managers regularly reviewed significant events and complaints to identify themes, trends and opportunities for learning. Learning from these reviews was shared with staff to support practice development.

Leaders had reviewed the results of the 2026 GP Patient Survey and were taking action to improve patient experience and access. Findings had been discussed at practice meetings, and a local patient survey programme had been introduced from August 2026, with surveys undertaken weekly over a 3 month period. The practice analysed feedback relating to individual GPs and advanced nurse practitioners to identify themes and opportunities for improvement. The Patient Participation Group (PPG) was involved in reviewing feedback and sharing patient perspectives.

Emerging themes had informed ongoing improvement work, including actions to improve patient continuity of care, the development of a more proactive patient recall system, and the implementation of digital and AI-supported systems to improve access and efficiency. This included tools to support appointment cancellations, streamline repeat prescription processes, and automate the filing of specific blood test results. These changes were designed to reduce administrative workload and increase the capacity of reception and administration staff to support patients.

Staff took confidentiality and information security seriously, which included verifying people’s identity during remote consultations.

Staff submitted data and notifications to external agencies as required.

We did not look at Partnerships and communities during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Well-led.

We did not look at Learning, improvement and innovation during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Well-led.