- GP practice
Grovehurst Surgery
Report from 12 June 2025 assessment
Contents
Ratings
Our view of the service
Date of Assessment: 11 September 2025 to 16 September 2025. Grovehurst Surgery is a GP practice and delivers services to approximately 8,100 patients under a contract held with NHS England. The National General Practice Profiles states that the ethnic make-up of the practice area is 91.7% White, 4% Black, 1.8% Asian, 2% Mixed and 0.5% Other. Information published by the office for health improvement and disparities shows that deprivation within the practice population group is in the 6th decile (6 of 10). The lower the decile, the more deprived the practice population is relative to others. This assessment considered the demographics of the patients 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. At this inspection, we looked at the key questions safe and well-led. We also reviewed one quality statement in the effective key question.
People's experience of this service
In the past 12 months, the CQC received feedback from 4 members of the public on the service highlighting concerns. These related to incorrect prescriptions, the absence of chaperone offers, unanswered telephone calls, extended waiting times to be seen, lack of invitations for routine reviews, and issues regarding staff conduct.
The national GP patient survey (2025) received 101 responses, representing a completion rate of 33%. The findings showed 30% of respondents responded positively to how easy it was to contact the practice on the phone. This was below the national average of 53%. The provider was aware of this issue and were due to conduct an analysis to understand the underlying causes. Following assessment, the practice sent us an audit and action plan they implemented on 18 September 2025 to enhance access. This focussed on reviewing call wait times and refining call handling procedures. The practice had scheduled the rollout of a new digital triage and online consultation platform for October 2025, aimed at improving patient access and enhancing operational efficiency. The action plan included 2 review dates for the provider to assess whether the initiative had led to a reduction in call waiting times.
The plan also included engaging with the Patient Participation Group (PPG) and sending patient surveys to gain a current understanding of satisfaction levels. The overall aim was to streamline call handling processes and boost staff capacity to manage incoming calls more efficiently. The practice did not have outcome data to demonstrate improvements, so we were unable to assess the impact of this. We were informed that the patient questionnaires had been reviewed by the PPG and would be sent to patients in October 2025.
The 2025 national GP patient survey revealed that 82% of respondents felt they were treated with care and concern, slightly below the national average of 86%. Further, 93% reported having confidence and trust in the clinician they consulted, matching the national average. Additionally, 94% said they were involved in decisions about their care and treatment as much as they wanted to be, exceeding the national average of 91%.
Feedback collected through the NHS friends and family test from June 2025 to August 2025 showed a high level of patient satisfaction regarding their overall experience of the service. Positive response rates were 94% in June, 93% in July and 97% in August. Patients described staff as caring, helpful and professional.
Since the last inspection, the practice had made some improvements. Previously we found improvements were required for the monitoring of some prescribed medicines and some long-term conditions. At this inspection, we found improvements had been made in areas such as the monitoring of patients prescribed blood-thinning and immunosuppressant medicines and in the monitoring of some long-term conditions. However, the provider remained in breach of regulation relating to the monitoring of some prescribed medicines and ensuring that medicine reviews contained necessary information. Additionally, the practice was in breach of regulation for the management of premises checks (failure to act on risk assessments), systems for assessing clinical competency, and oversight of historical safety alerts.
We have asked the provider for an action plan in response to the concerns found at this assessment.