- GP practice
Kirkham Health Centre
Assessment report published 6 October 2026
Contents
Ratings
Our view of the service
Kirkham Health Centre is a GP practice and delivers services to approximately 9920 people under a contract held with NHS England. According to the latest available data, the ethnic make-up of the service area is approximately 96.2% White, 1.4% Asian, 1.5% Mixed, 0.4% Black and 0.5% Other. Information published by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities shows deprivation within the service population group is in the 8th decile (8 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.
SAFE – Environmental risks were not always managed well. Challenges meant it was difficult to ensure the premises remained well maintained and clean. Whilst they assessed risks, including the risk of infection, they did not always manage and control the risks due to the age, condition and maintenance of the building and the environment. However, equipment within the premises was maintained appropriately. There were enough staff in post, but limitations in record keeping meant assurance around skills, qualifications and experience was not readily available.
EFFECTIVE - Staff supported people to live healthier lives, monitoring their care and treatment to ensure they received positive and consistent outcomes.
CARING - Staff treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion, and respected their privacy and dignity.
RESPONSIVE - 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.
WELL-LED - Some of the systems and processes we assessed, such as those relating to oversight such as recruitment, staff training, fire safety, health and safety and governance were not effective. The service had a clear vision and strategy, which considered the needs of the people who used their service and the wider community. Leaders were visible and approachable and staff felt valued.
We found breaches of regulation in relation to safe care and treatment and good governance. We have asked the provider for an action plan in response to the concerns found at this assessment.
People's experience of this service
As part of our assessment, we reviewed a range of feedback available to us to understand their views and experience of the service. The majority of people were positive about the quality of their care and treatment. We asked for feedback from people who used the service and we received 10 written pieces of feedback; 9 were positive and 1 was negative. We also spoke with 3 people using the service at the time of our assessment which was positive. They described how staff treated them with kindness and compassion and respected their privacy. This was mirrored in the results of recent surveys, including the 2026 National GP Patient Survey, which showed most people were satisfied as this showed 74% of patients had a good overall experience of the practice. This was compared to 78% locally and 77% nationally. Recent Friends and Family Test results were also positive, with most people saying they thought the practice was very good.
There was an active patient participation group (PPG) who represented the views of people using the service. Representatives from the PPG reported that they engaged in regular meetings with leaders who were receptive to suggestions and made positive changes because of their feedback. They believed managers valued their input and updated the PPG where it was possible to do so.