• Doctor
  • GP practice

Marine Medical Group

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

Blyth Health Centre, Thoroton Street, Blyth, Northumberland, NE24 1DX (01670) 544125

Provided and run by:
Marine Medical Group

Latest inspection summary

On this page

Our current view of the service

Good

Updated 20 January 2026

Marine Medical Group is a GP practice who delivers services to 14,034 patients under a contract held with NHS England.

The National General Practice Profiles states that according to the latest available data, the ethnic makeup of the practice area is 97.53% White, 1.01% Asian, 0.22% Black, 0.72% Mixed and Other 0.52%. Information published by Office for Health Improvement and Disparities shows that deprivation within the practice population group is in the 2 decile (2 of 10). The lower the decile, the more deprived the practice population is relative to others. 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.

The last comprehensive inspection of this service took place in July 2015, when it was rated as good overall and for the key questions of effective, caring, responsive and well led. The key question of safe was rated as requires improvement. We revisited the service in June 2016 and re rated the safe key question as good.

We carried out this assessment on 20 and 30 January 2026 as a fully comprehensive inspection. The reason for the assessment was the length of time since the last inspection.

For this assessment the service maintained its overall rating of good.

The service had a good learning culture and people could raise concerns. Managers investigated incidents thoroughly. Staff understood and managed risks. The facilities and equipment met the needs of people, were clean and well-maintained and any risks mitigated. There were enough staff with the right skills, qualifications and experience. Managers made sure staff received training and regular appraisals to maintain high-quality care. Staff involved people in planning any changes. People were protected and kept safe. However, we found nursing staff had not completed their adults safeguarding to the required level 3. Managers were already aware of this and awaiting the next available course for those staff. We identified some issues with medicines management; however, the practice implemented corrective actions immediately following the assessment and they have provided evidence to demonstrate these improvements.

People were involved in assessments of their needs. Staff reviewed assessments taking account of people’s communication, personal and health needs. Staff worked with all agencies involved in people’s care for the best outcomes and smooth transitions when moving services. Staff made sure people understood their care and treatment to enable them to give informed consent. Staff involved those important to people and took decisions in people’s best interests where they did not have capacity. Although we found care was not consistently aligned with the latest evidence and best practice, leaders addressed the issues identified during the assessment immediately, and evidence has been provided to demonstrate these improvements.

People were treated with kindness and compassion. Staff protected their privacy and dignity. They treated them as individuals and supported their preferences. People had choice in their care and treatment. The service supported staff wellbeing.

People were involved in decisions about their care. The service provided information people could understand. People knew how to give feedback and were confident the service took it seriously and acted on it. The service was easy to access and worked to eliminate discrimination. People received fair and equal care and treatment. The service worked to reduce health and care inequalities through training and feedback. People were involved in planning their care and understood options around choosing to withdraw or not receive care.

Leaders and staff had a shared vision and culture based on listening, learning and trust. Leaders were highly visible, knowledgeable and supportive, helping staff develop in their roles. Staff felt well supported to give feedback and were treated equally, free from bullying or harassment. Staff understood their roles and responsibilities. Managers worked well with the local community to deliver the best possible care and were receptive to new ideas. There was a culture of continuous improvement with staff given time and resources to try new ideas.

People's experience of the service

Updated 20 January 2026

People were positive about the quality of their care and treatment. Recent survey results, including from the National GP Patient Survey and the NHS Friends and Family Test, showed people were satisfied with services.

There was an active patient participation group (PPG) who represented the views of people using the service. Representatives from the PPG described how managers made positive changes because of feedback, such as maintaining good access for patients without good access to technology. The PPG also proactively gathered additional feedback by engaging with patients at local community hubs.

In the 3 months prior to the assessment, the NHS Friends and Family Test results for the practice scored consistently 95% or above. In the months of October and November 2025, the results of good or very good were 95% and in December 2025 this rose to 97%. There were 2,160 responses in total for the 3 months with 1,809 rating the practice as very good (84%), 256 patients rating the practice as good and 30 patients rating the practice as poor or very poor. In the National GP Patient Survey results for 2025, 83% of patients who responded said their overall experience of this GP practice was either good or fairly good against the National average of 75%.

We read numerous thank you cards and letters received by the practice, which were very positive and thanked the staff for excellent person-centred care, professionalism, kindness and support.

Leaders from the aligned care homes shared positive feedback on the quality of care and support provided by the practice staff for their residents and their families. They described staff as being very accessible, professional, helpful and caring.