The Care Quality Commission
  • Doctor
  • GP practice

Upton Group Practice

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

32 Ford Road, Wirral, Merseyside, CH49 0TF (0151) 677 0486

Provided and run by:
Upton Group Practice

All Inspections

During an assessment under our new approach

Date of Assessment: 7th September 2026. Upton Group Practice is a GP practice and delivers services to approximately 7785 people under a contract held with NHS England. According to the latest available data, the ethnic make-up of the service area is approximately 95.4% White, 2.3% Asian, 1.4% Mixed, 0.4% Black and 0.6% Other. Information published by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities shows deprivation within the service population group is in the 7th decile (7 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 inspection. 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 maintained clean facilities and ensured equipment was appropriately tested to keep people safe. They assessed and managed the risk of infection and took steps to reduce the risk of its spread. There were sufficient staff with the appropriate skills, qualifications and experience. However, processes to monitor and track compliance in relation to risk management, infection control and staff compliance and oversight were not always effective.

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 provider had a clear vision and strategy, which considered the needs of the people who used the service and the wider community. Staff understood their individual roles and responsibilities. Leaders were accountable for the actions, behaviours and performance of staff through established governance processes; however, these were not always fully effective in ensuring that all required actions were consistently completed and evidenced.

3 February 2017

During an inspection looking at part of the service

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We previously carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Upton Group Practice on 21 July 2016. The overall rating for the practice was requires improvement. The full comprehensive report on the inspection carried out on 21 July 2016 can be found by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Upton Group Practice on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

This inspection was an announced focused inspection carried out on 3 February 2017 to confirm that the practice had carried out their plan to meet the legal requirements in relation to the breaches in regulations that we identified in our previous inspection on 21 July 2016. This report covers our findings in relation to those requirements and also additional improvements made since our last inspection.

Overall the practice is now rated as good.

Our key findings were as follows:

  • The practice had addressed the issues identified during the previous inspection.
  • The practice no longer had any controlled drugs.
  • The practice had revised its safeguarding protocols and now had its own additional internal safeguarding meetings and kept appropriate records to improve the management of any safeguarding concerns.

In addition, the practice had made the following improvements:

  • The implementation of continuous audit for patients on high risk medications. The practice was also part of a local pilot scheme for repeat prescribing to reduce unnecessary medications being prescribed to patients.
  • There was a revised significant event protocol. New significant events and any previous actions were discussed as a standing agenda item at staff meetings.
  • There was a new complaints process, in which all complaints were discussed at staff meetings. Any complaints which were highlighted as a significant event would be analysed appropriately.
  • The practice had updated its website in part to improve how the practice captured patient feedback.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

21 July 2016

During a routine inspection

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Upton Group Practice on 21 July 2016. Overall the practice is rated as requires improvement.

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

  • Staff understood their responsibilities to raise concerns, incidents and near misses. However, not all incidents were recorded and reviews and investigations were not thorough enough.
  • Risks to patients were not always assessed and well managed. For example, those relating to safeguarding and controlled drugs management.
  • Complaints were not effectively managed.
  • The practice had a number of policies and procedures to govern activity. However, the systems and process in place did not effectively promote and monitor the safety and quality of the service provided.
  • Patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect.
  • The practice had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs.

  • Staff assessed patients’ needs and delivered care in line with current evidence based guidance.

  • Patients said they found it easy to make an appointment with a named GP and there was continuity of care, with urgent appointments available the same day.

The areas where the provider must make improvements are:

  • Ensure that the storage disposal and recording of controlled drugs are in line with the requirements of Regulation 12(2)(g) of the Health and Social Care Act (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014.

  • Ensure safeguarding information is appropriately managed.

In addition the provider should:

  • Continue to review the system used to investigate safety incidents. To ensure the system is embedded and appropriate actions and learning are clearly documented and shared with the whole staff team.

  • Continue to review complaints to ensure any significant events identified can be appropriately analysed and actions and learning can be shared across the whole staff team.

  • Continue to monitor high risk drugs to ensure patients are receiving safe and appropriate care and treatment.

Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP 

Chief Inspector of General Practice