The Care Quality Commission
  • Doctor
  • GP practice

Portland Medical Practice

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

Anchor Meadow Health Centre, Westfield Drive, Aldridge, Walsall, West Midlands, WS9 8AJ (01922) 450950

Provided and run by:
Portland Medical Practice

All Inspections

During an assessment under our new approach

Date of Assessment: 24 June 2026. Portland Medical Practice is a GP practice and delivers services to approximately 8,860 people under a contract held with NHS England. According to the latest available data, the ethnic make-up of the service area is approximately 88.5% White, 6.5% Asian, 2.4% Mixed, 1.7% Black and 0.9% Other. Information published by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities shows deprivation within the service population group is in the first 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 infection well and took steps to control the risk of it spreading. There were enough staff with the right skills, qualifications and experience. The service ensured that the environment was always safe for delivering care and treatment.

Staff supported people to live healthier lives, monitoring their care and treatment to ensure they received positive and consistent outcomes.

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 ensured the appropriate governance processes were in place, so staff had clear expectations as to their performance.

1 and 5 November 2018

During a routine inspection

This practice is rated as Good overall. (Previous rating February 2016 – Good)

The key questions at this inspection are rated as:

Are services safe? – Good

Are services effective? – Good

Are services caring? – Good

Are services responsive? – Good

Are services well-led? - Good

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Portland Medical Practice on 1 and 5 November 2018.

At this inspection we found:

  • The practice had clear systems to manage risk so that safety incidents were less likely to happen. When incidents did happen, the practice learned from them and improved their processes.
  • The practice routinely reviewed the effectiveness and appropriateness of the care it provided. It ensured that care and treatment was delivered according to evidence- based guidelines.
  • The practice understood the needs of its population and tailored services in response to those needs. There was evidence of a number of projects and services the practice had been involved with to ensure patients’ needs were met.
  • The practice was participating in a pilot with MacMillan Cancer Support to develop the role of the Non-Clinical MacMillan Cancer Care Lead, to support newly diagnosed patients.
  • Staff involved and treated patients with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.
  • The system for on the day appointments had changed to a triage system in which reception staff had been in receipt of appropriate training and guidance.
  • There was a strong focus on continuous learning and improvement at all levels of the organisation.

The areas where the provider should make improvements are:

  • Carry out a risk assessment for those members of staff where a disclosure and barring service check had not been completed.
  • Document a risk assessments for those staff whose immunisation status was not known, until the complete immunisation status for all members of staff has been obtained.
  • Develop an asset register for all equipment held at the practice.
  • Carry out a risk assessment to determine the choice of medicines for use in a medical emergency.
  • Demonstrate the competence of staff employed in advanced roles by audit of their clinical decision making.
  • Include information about escalating complaints to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman in the complaint response letters.
  • Record detailed minutes of meetings including the attendees, any actions, timescales and review dates.

Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Please refer to the detailed report and the evidence tables for further information.

18 February 2016

During a routine inspection

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Portland Medical Centre on 18 February 2016. 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 understood and fulfilled their responsibilities to raise safety concerns and to report incidents and near misses.
  • There were systems in place to maintain the health and safety of patients and staff at the practice and any learning identified from incidents was shared with staff.
  • Staff assessed patients’ needs and had effective procedures in place to ensure care and treatment was delivered 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.
  • Information about services and how to complain was available and easy to understand.
  • Patients said they found it easy to make an appointment with a named GP and that there was continuity of care, with urgent appointments available the same day.
  • The practice had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs.
  • The practice acted on suggestions received from patients, for example, specific health events and educational evenings and had active support from the Patient Participation Group.
  • There was a clear leadership structure and staff felt supported by management. The practice proactively sought feedback from staff and patients, which it acted on.
  • The practice ran warfarin clinics for both the practice patients and people in the local community.
  • The practice shared bank holiday opening hours with other practices, so patients could access medical care during this time
  • The provider was aware of and complied with the requirements of the Duty of Candour. The practice encouraged a culture of openness and honesty.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice