Faversham Medical Group

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 looked for evidence that leadership, management and governance assured high-quality, person-centred care; supported learning and innovation; and promoted an open, fair 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 practice had a shared vision, strategy and culture. This was based on transparency, equity, equality and human rights, diversity and inclusion, engagement, and understanding challenges and the needs of patients and their communities.

The practice was aware of the projected increase in the local population and was working with partner agencies to address future challenges. For example, leaders were working towards incorporating another practice as a branch location to improve patient services, strengthen their workforce and increase resilience.

The practice had 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. They did so with integrity, openness and honesty.

Staff told us that leaders in the practice were approachable and responsive to concerns raised and described them as open and receptive to ideas. Staff also said they felt supported, valued and listened to, and were positive about working at the practice. They highlighted strong teamwork, responsive management and improved morale. Some staff also identified areas where further development would be beneficial, including strengthening internal communication, increasing the number of clinical and non‑clinical staff, and holding more regular meetings. We shared this feedback with leaders as part of this assessment for them to action accordingly.

The practice fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. The practice had established systems and processes to encourage and support staff to speak up. The practice had designated Freedom to Speak Up Champions, offering staff a confidential route to raise concerns internally or externally. All concerns raised were recorded, investigated, and addressed, with learning shared to support improvement. Staff reported they knew how to raise concerns and were aware of the different options available to them for speaking up.

The practice valued diversity in their workforce. They worked towards an inclusive and fair culture by improving equality and equity for people who work for them.

Staff told us they had received support and developmental opportunities as well as reasonable adjustments to accommodate individual needs.

The service had clear responsibilities, roles and systems of accountability. Leaders and managers supported staff, and all staff we spoke with were clear on their individual roles and responsibilities. Managers met with staff regularly to complete appraisals and performance reviews. The provider had established governance processes that were appropriate for their service. Staff could access all required policies and procedures. Staff took patient confidentiality and information security seriously. Lessons were learned from significant events and complaints, to help prevent similar incidents from reoccurring.

However, oversight of the monitoring for certain medicines requiring regular review and the use of alerts for household members of children on the at‑risk register was not always consistent. The practice responded promptly to our feedback and implemented immediate actions to strengthen the monitoring of all medicines, including those we raised highlighted, and to enhance the reliability of safeguarding alerts across patient records.

The practice understood their duty to collaborate and work in partnership, so services work seamlessly for patients. They shared information and learning with partners and collaborate for improvement.

The practice engaged positively with local health and community partners, contributing to coordinated care for vulnerable groups and supporting wider system priorities. They also demonstrated a strong commitment to their local community through regular initiatives, including hosting an annual Macmillan coffee morning, taking part in Race for Life events, and supporting Wear It Pink to raise awareness and funds for breast cancer research.

The practice focused on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation and local system.

The practice reviewed complaints, significant events, and audits, sharing learning with staff to support reflection and improvement. Actions were implemented in response to identified issues demonstrating a commitment to continuous improvement.

The practice had a quality improvement plan in place to support ongoing service development. For example, in October 2025, a project was completed to address delays and improve patient satisfaction with prescription processing. The practice identified significant delays, with turnaround times occasionally exceeding 7 days, resulting in patient dissatisfaction, increased complaints, and additional workload for staff. Root causes included inconsistent allocation of prescription signing and a lack of reliable leave cover for GPs. A new system was introduced that distributed prescription responsibilities across all GPs and implemented a formal rota to ensure cover during absence. The practice also strengthened its workforce by recruiting 2 pharmacy technicians to support prescription handling and patient queries. Following these changes, the practice told us prescription turnaround times reduced to under 3 days, with most completed on the same day. They said patient satisfaction improved, complaints decreased, and the PPG provided positive feedback on the improved service.

The practice was working towards accreditation as a Veteran Friendly Practice and had identified this as an area for ongoing development. Clinical staff were undertaking relevant training with the support of the practice, and learning was being shared with colleagues on how to better identify, support, and respond to the needs of veterans.