Royal Arsenal Medical Centre

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 Requires improvement. At this assessment, the rating remains the same.

This service scored 61 (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 had a clear shared vision, strategy and culture which was based on transparency, equity, equality and human rights, diversity and inclusion, and engagement. However, not all staff felt they had contributed to the development of the practice vision and strategy.

They did not always understand the challenges and the needs of people and their communities and had a low Patient Participation Group (PPG) membership. However, the practice was making effort to recruit new members by advertising using posters in the reception area and by contacting patients directly.

Staff members said leaders were visible, approachable, and responsive. Leaders ensured staff were aware of the roles and responsibilities of others within the practice. However, repeated issues noted during this assessment and during assessment in December 2024 highlight ongoing concerns regarding governance within the practice.

Policies were regularly reviewed and clearly identified the names of designated leads to support accountability and clarity across the team. Leaders maintained effective oversight of recruitment to ensure all checks were completed in line with policy and regulatory requirements.

Whilst staff feedback stated that they generally felt supported, some staff members reported that communication from senior leaders within the practice could be more efficient. For example, by communicating any relevant changes made in either clinical or non-clinical areas to applicable staff members. We saw the leadership team worked with other practices in the primary care network and were engaged in the development of primary care services within the local area.

The service fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up. Staff members felt they were able to raise concerns to senior leaders without fear of reprisal.

Staff members were aware of the Freedom To Speak Up processes and were able to name who the designated Freedom To Speak Up guardian was within the practice.

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 service had clear responsibilities, roles and systems of accountability. However, delivery of good quality care and treatment was not always managed in line with national guidelines. For example, patients were not always monitored at the recommended intervals for those with certain conditions or those prescribed certain medicines, which the provider’s own systems had not identified. Repeated issues had been noted at both this assessment and during assessment in December 2024.

Leaders and managers supported staff, and all staff we spoke with were clear on their individual roles and responsibilities. Managers met with staff regularly to complete appraisals and performance reviews. Staff could access all required policies and procedures. Managers held regular practice meetings with staff, during which they discussed clinical concerns and emerging risks. Staff took patient confidentiality and information security seriously.

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.