The Care Quality Commission
  • Doctor
  • GP practice

Saddlers Health Centre

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

Hatherton Medical Centre, 1 Hatherton Street, Walsall, WS1 1AF (01922) 622326

Provided and run by:
Saddlers Health Centre

All Inspections

During an assessment under our new approach

Date of Assessment: 21 September 2026. Saddlers Health Centre is a GP practice and delivers services to approximately 5,270 people under a contract held with NHS England. According to the latest available data, the ethnic make-up of the service area is approximately 55.4% White, 30.8% Asian, 3.9% Mixed, 6.8% Black and 3.2% Other. Information published by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities shows deprivation within the service population group is in the 1 decile (1 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.

Staff kept facilities clean and maintained equipment appropriately to ensure people were kept safe. They assessed and managed the risk of any infection and took steps to control the risk of any infection spreading. There were enough staff with the right skills, qualifications and experience.

Staff supported people to live healthier lives and monitored care and treatment to identify areas where outcomes could be improved.

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

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.

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.

22 February 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 visit of Saddlers Health Centre, in December 2015. As a result of our comprehensive inspection a breach of legal requirements were found and the practice was rated as requires improvements for providing safe services. This was because we identified an area where the provider must make improvement and an area where the provider should improve.

We carried out a focussed desk based inspection of Saddlers Health Centre on 22 February 2017 to check that the provider had made improvements. This report only covers our findings in relation to those requirements. You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the 'all reports' link for Saddlers Health Centre on our website at www.cqc.org.uk. Our key findings across all the areas we inspected were as follows:

  • As part of our desk based inspection we noted improvements in the practices recruitment procedures, risk management and record keeping.
  • For example, during our previous inspection in December 2015 we identified gaps in evidence to assure us that appropriate recruitment checks were undertaken prior to employment.
  • Shortly after our inspection took place we received assurance and evidence to demonstrate that some checks had been completed such as Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks. Furthermore, as part of our desk based inspection we saw that the practice had a comprehensive recruitment policy in place and in addition to this we saw evidence to demonstrate that appropriate recruitment checks were in place for practice staff.
  • During our previous inspection we found that the practices policy on lone working was not effective enough to meet current practice requirements for staff that worked alone. We also saw that risks associated with lone working were not formally assessed. Shortly after our inspection we saw that the practice reviewed their lone worker policy and implemented a programme of formal risk assessments to support lone working in the practice.
  • As part of our desk based inspection we saw copies of a formal risk assessment for staff that worked alone, records supported that risk was managed and continually monitored with effective control measures in place.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

2 December 2015

During a routine inspection

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Saddlers Health Centre on 2 December 2015. Overall the practice is rated as Good.

Our key findings across all the areas we inspected were as follows:

• There was an open and transparent approach to safety and an effective system in place for reporting and recording significant events.

• Staff assessed patients’ needs and delivered care in line with current evidence based guidance. Staff had the skills, knowledge and experience to deliver effective care and treatment.

• Patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and they were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment.

• Patients told us that they could get an appointment

when they needed one, however there was some delays to routine appointments when doctors were on leave.

• Information about services and how to complain was available and easy to understand.

• The provider was aware of and complied with the requirements of the Duty of Candour. The Duty of Candour aims to help patients receive accurate, truthful information from providers.

• The practice proactively sought feedback from patients and had an active patient participation group.

• Staff could be overheard discussing patient details at the front reception desk when answering the telephone.

• Staff were not always aware of the procedures to follow in the event of an emergency.

The areas where the provider must make improvement:

• Ensure recruitment arrangements include all necessary employment checks for all staff.

The areas where the provider should make improvement:

• Carry out risk assessments and log maintenance actions required.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice