Garforth Medical Practice

On this page

• Overview
• Shared direction and culture
• Capable, compassionate and inclusive leaders
• Freedom to speak up
• Workforce equality, diversity and inclusion
• Governance, management and sustainability
• Partnerships and communities
• Learning, improvement and innovation

We saw evidence that the leadership, management and governance within the practice assured high-quality, person-centred care; supported learning and innovation; and promoted a supportive culture

At our last assessment, we rated this key question as good. At this assessment, the rating remains the same.

This service scored 75 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The service had a shared vision, strategy and culture. This was based on transparency, equality, diversity and inclusion, engagement, and an understanding of the challenges and needs of their local community. All staff we spoke with told us clearly that the practice’s main aim was to deliver the best and most appropriate care to their patients, and said that this was central to their roles at the practice. Both management and staff had a good understanding of the challenges faced in the delivery of the vision which included increases in demand and in patient expectation. We saw evidence that the provider had taken active steps to improve capacity, and used other approaches such as the use of technology to improve services.

The service was found to have inclusive leaders at all levels who understood the context in which they delivered care, treatment and support and embodied the culture and values of their workforce and organisation. Leaders had the skills, knowledge, experience and credibility to lead effectively. From direct interviews and questionnaire feedback we were informed that overall staff felt well supported, and that managers were approachable, and the culture of the organisation was supportive. However, results from a recent staff survey indicated that only 69% of responding staff felt valued by leaders. When we discussed the results of the survey we were assured by the provider that the findings from the survey had been examined in depth and that clear priorities were being put in place to improve key areas such as communication and wellbeing. We saw the leadership team and frontline staff worked with other practices in the primary care network, and were engaged in the development of primary care services within the local area.

We saw that the provider fostered a positive culture where people could speak up. The practice had established Freedom to Speak up arrangements, and staff we spoke with, or received feedback from, knew how to raise a concern and who to contact. However, a recent staff survey undertaken as part of the Heathy Practice Programme showed that whilst 89% of staff agreed they would be listened to if they raise concerns with their immediate manager, this fell to 56% of staff if they

raised concerns with the leadership/partnership team. We discussed these findings with the management team who told us that the survey had only recently been undertaken, and they were currently examining the findings in this area. These survey findings were also at odds with staff feedback we received as part of the assessment which indicated that staff felt their feedback would be acted upon. To illustrate their actions in relation to feedback the provider told us that following staff comments they had made changes to allow staff to have more time for administration duties. The provider did though acknowledge that after the loss of some senior staff, and the appointment of new staff that they had work to do building confidence and trust amongst all staff groups. To support the provider’s Freedom to speak up approach a whistleblowing process had been developed, and this was available on the practice’s shared information platform. On a day to day basis staff told us that they felt able to approach managers and senior clinicians, and felt that everyone worked well together.

The service valued diversity in their workforce. They worked towards an inclusive and fair culture by improving equality and equity for people who worked for them. The provider had policies, procedures and training in place to promote equality, diversity and inclusion such as procedures for reasonable adjustments, and tackling bullying and harassment, and we saw that staff had competed mandatory equality training. Results from the recent staff survey undertaken in May and June 2025 showed that 83% of staff felt they are encouraged to grow and develop within the practice, and we saw and heard of examples of when staff had progressed in their careers with the practice.

The provider had developed clear responsibilities, roles, and systems of management oversight and good governance. We saw that the provider used information to deliver effective care and to improve services. For example, they used telephony data to make improvements to call handling by increasing staffing during periods of peak demand. The provider had an organisational structure in place to ensure the effective management of services. This included the appointment of partners and senior staff to act as leads for key activities such as safeguarding, information governance and health and safety. We saw that meetings were held which supported good governance and management. These included management meetings, clinical meetings, nurse meetings, dispensing team meetings and administration and reception team meetings. We also saw that the provider regularly engaged with external partners such as their primary care network, and local safeguarding team. These meetings were important for the sharing of service information and updates, and to enable feedback. We saw that the provider was aware of the need for succession planning and the need to increase capacity, and had recently undertaken a recruitment exercise which saw the appointment of new staff. Whilst staff we received feedback from were generally very positive, we noted some comments regarding the need to improve communication, a theme which was also identified in the recent staff survey. This had been recognised by the provider, and we saw as part of the Healthy Practice Programme that this had been prioritised for action. The provider had developed a number of policies and procedures to support governance and management, and staff we spoke with were clear on how to access these. Staff informed us that overall, they felt well supported, and had confidence in their immediate line managers. During our remote searches we saw that workflows for tasks, and pathology results were up to date.

The service understood their duty to collaborate and work in partnership with others, so services worked seamlessly for people. They shared information and learning with partners, and collaborated closely with them to develop new services and drive improvement. By working with their primary care network (PCN) we saw that the provider was able to offer patients extended hours services, and access to additional resources such as social prescribers, health and wellbeing coaches. The provider hosted PCN pharmacy staff who supported medicines optimisation and management.

We found that the service was focused on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation and their local health and care system. They actively sought ways to improve the organisation and services for patients. We saw that the provider acted upon significant events and complaints and used these for learning and service improvement. Service performance, quality and effectiveness was monitored regularly through both clinical and non-clinical audits. The provider had also taken steps to improve services through participation in the National General Practice Improvement programme which led to changes to improve access, and had recently begun the Healthy Practice Programme which had identified key priorities of communication and wellbeing. The provider was involved in a number of patient research projects including ones linked into asthma, and personalised care planning for frail elderly people. A senior staff member told us that they benefited from acting as a teaching/training practice supporting doctors, nurses and students as it kept them focused on new ways of working, learning, and sharing best practice. Working with their primary care network we saw evidence of community level innovative practice. Patients were able to access a Leg Club which operated locally. Patients were able to attend the club and have leg dressings changed, discuss their needs with staff, and also to socialise with others.