- GP practice
Kirkgate Surgery
Assessment report published 22 September 2026
Contents
Ratings
Our view of the service
Date of Assessment: 23 July 2026. Kirkgate Surgery is a GP practice located at 3 Kirkgate, Birstall, Batley, WF17 9HE, the service delivers primary medical services to approximately 3,620 patients under a contract with NHS England. According to the latest available data, the ethnic makeup of the practice population is approximately 86.9% White, 9.6% Asian, 2.1% Mixed, 0.8% Black and 0.6% Other. Information published by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities shows the level of deprivation within the practice population is in the 5th decile (1 to 10), where a lower decile indicates a more deprived population. This assessment considered the demographics of the people using the practice, the context in which the practice operates and how this impacts service delivery. Where relevant, further commentary is provided within the quality statements in this report.
This was a focused assessment undertaken due to the length of time since the practice's last assessment. We assessed 10 quality statements across all 5 key questions.
As a result of this assessment, we rated the practice as requires improvement for safe and well-led, and good for effective, caring and responsive. This gives the practice an overall rating of requires improvement.
The practice supported people to live healthier lives and monitored care and treatment to help achieve positive outcomes. Staff treated people with kindness, compassion and respect, and promoted people's privacy and dignity. People could access care, treatment and support through a range of appointment options, including home visits and enhanced access services, and staff considered the needs of people who may experience barriers to care. The practice had a clear vision and values, and staff spoke positively about the culture within the practice and the support they received from leaders.
However, we identified shortcomings in the management and oversight of environmental risks, infection prevention and control arrangements, staff records and compliance monitoring. Governance systems had not consistently ensured risks were identified, monitored and addressed, and leaders could not always demonstrate effective oversight of key safety and compliance information. We found breaches of Regulation 12 (Safe Care and Treatment) and Regulation 17 (Good Governance) of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. We have asked the provider to submit an action plan detailing how they will address the concerns identified during this assessment.
People's experience of this service
As part of this assessment, we reviewed the results of the 2026 National GP Patient Survey to understand people's experiences of the practice. Overall, feedback demonstrated that people had positive experiences of the care and treatment provided. The survey showed that 95% of respondents felt their needs were met during their last appointment, compared with the national average of 90%. In addition, 92% (national average 93%) of respondents reported having confidence and trust in the healthcare professional they saw or spoke to, and 91% (national average 92%) said they had all the information they needed following their appointment. The practice performed above the national average, with 77% of respondents saying they had received enough support from local services or organisations in the last 12 months to help manage their long-term condition(s) or illness(es), compared with 70% nationally.
Feedback from the Friends and Family Test (FFT) between May and July 2026 provided a mixed but generally positive picture of patients' experiences. Overall, 67.9% of respondents rated their experience as "very good" or "good". Positive comments highlighted the helpfulness, professionalism and efficiency of staff and the way staff listened to patients' concerns. Some respondents identified areas for improvement relating to access to appointments, telephone responsiveness and communication processes.
The practice had an active Patient Participation Group (PPG) and advised meetings were held quarterly. Minutes from recent meetings were displayed on a dedicated PPG notice board within the practice, demonstrating how information and updates were shared with patients. Leaders told us they were actively seeking to increase membership to ensure the group continued to represent the views of the wider practice population. Overall, patient feedback and survey results indicated that people were treated with care and professionalism and felt their needs were met.