The Groves Medical Centre

On this page

• Overview
• Assessing needs
• Delivering evidence-based care and treatment
• How staff, teams and services work together
• Supporting people to live healthier lives
• Monitoring and improving outcomes
• Consent to care and treatment

We looked for evidence that staff involved people in decisions about their care and treatment and provided them advice and support. Staff regularly reviewed people’s care and worked with other services to achieve this.

At our last inspection, we rated this key question as Requires Improvement. At this assessment the rating has changed to Good.

This service scored 71 (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 made sure people’s care and treatment was effective by assessing and reviewing their health, care, wellbeing and communication needs with them.

Feedback from people using the service was positive. People felt involved in any assessment of their needs and felt confident that staff understood their individual and cultural needs. Reception staff were aware of the needs of the local community. Reception staff used digital flags within the care records system to highlight any specific individual needs, such as the requirement for longer appointments or where translation services were needed.

The service did not always plan and deliver people’s care and treatment with them, including what was important and mattered to them.

We saw instances where care was not provided in line with current guidance. For example, within our clinical searches of patients being prescribed high-risk medicines and those being prescribed medicines for long-term health conditions we identified:

• Eighty-four patients were being prescribed gabapentenoid medicines who had not received a review within the last 12 months. We looked at 5 patient records and found 2 out of 5 were overdue a review. One had a scheduled appointment, however the other remained overdue without an appointment scheduled. Gabapentinoids are medicines commonly used in the treatment of neuropathic pain.
• We looked at 5 records for patients being prescribed SGLT2 inhibitors who should have received advice regarding risks of Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) and Fournier’s gangrene. There was evidence on 4 records of DKA advice, however, none of the 5 records showed evidence the patient had received advice concerning the risks of Fournier’s gangrene. Although the practice told us a system generated letter advised patients of the risks, there was no evidence on their records of the patient being advised of the risks. SGLT2 inhibitors are a medicine used to manage blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes.
• Fifty out of 959 patients on the asthma register had been prescribed 2 or more courses of rescue steroids in the last 12 months. We looked at 5 records and found 2 out of 5 had not received follow-up, while a third patient had been inappropriately issued a rescue pack which was not justified by their condition.
• Other searches we carried out, for example for patients being prescribed other high-risk medicines, showed that patients whose records we looked at were receiving appropriate monitoring.

The service worked well across teams and services to support people. They made sure people only needed to tell their story once by sharing their assessment of needs when people moved between different services.

Staff had access to the information they needed to appropriately assess, plan, and deliver people’s care, treatment, and support. The practice worked with other services to ensure continuity of care, including where clinical tasks were delegated to other services.

The service supported people to manage their health and wellbeing to maximise their independence, choice and control. The service supported people to live healthier lives and where possible, reduce their future needs for care and support.

The practice employed a social prescriber who assisted patients in accessing support and assistance within the local community which supported independence and living a healthier life.

The service routinely monitored people’s care and treatment to continuously improve it. They ensured that outcomes were positive and consistent, and that they met both clinical expectations and the expectations of people themselves.

The practice met national targets for screening and immunisations. From the clinical notes we looked at, we found that people who used the practice experienced positive outcomes in line with legislation, standards, and evidence-based clinical guidance. For example, we found:

• In the year to end of March 2022, 91% of children aged 2 had received the pneumococcal booster (PCV). At this assessment we looked at the same indicator for the year ending end of March 2024 and found the practice had achieved 93% of 2-year-old children receiving the PCV booster.
• In the year to end of March 2022, 91% of children aged 5 had received immunisation for measles, mumps and rubella (2 doses of MMR). While 97% of the same age group in the year to end of March 2024 had received 2 doses of MMR.
• Its performance for cervical cancer screening for the period ending 18 March 2025, showed the practice was achieving a combined age group average of 84%, exceeding the national target of 80%.

The service told people about their rights around consent and respected these when delivering person-centred care and treatment.

Since our last inspection the practice had ensured that staff had undertaken training in consent and mental capacity.

Staff understood and applied legislation relating to consent. Capacity and consent were clearly recorded.