During an assessment under our new approach
Date of assessment: 25 February to 10 March 2026. Westminster Medical Centre is a GP practice which provides a range of primary medical services from its location in Liverpool, Merseyside. The practice delivers services to approximately 6,480 patients under a contract held with NHS England.
The National General Practice Profiles states that the ethnic make-up of the practice area is 88.7% White, 3.4% Asian, 3.2% Black, 2.2% Mixed and 2.5% Other ethnicity. Information published by Office for Health Improvement and Disparities shows that deprivation within the practice population group is in decile 1 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.
We carried out this assessment to follow up on a breach of regulation identified at the last assessment of the service in September 2022 and in response to concerns we received.
We assessed all 5 key questions to establish if the services provided are safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led. We rated the service as good overall and requires improvement for providing well-led services. At this assessment we found that overall improvements had been made to meet the requirement notice from the last inspection. However, there continued to be areas where there was insufficient oversight to ensure the service operated safely and effectively.
We found that improvements were needed to the systems in place to monitor on-site medicines, blank prescriptions and review significant events to ensure action taken is effective. The provider took immediate action to address any issues identified in relation to patient safety. We found that patient feedback in the national GP Patient Survey was lower than local and national averages for questions relating to the service being caring and accessibility. The provider acted on the views of patients; however, they did not have an effective system to evaluate that the action taken had led to improved patient satisfaction. Although action had been taken to increase the uptake of childhood immunisations and cervical screening, this had only recently been recorded as a plan that could be periodically reviewed.
However, we found that there were systems in place to protect vulnerable people from abuse. The provider worked with people who used the service and healthcare partners to establish and maintain safe systems of care. The facilities and premises were appropriately maintained overall. Leaders and staff had access to the information they needed to appropriately assess, plan, and deliver people’s care, treatment, and support. The service supported people to live healthier lives and manage their health and wellbeing. Staff demonstrated a person-centred approach to their work. The practice worked in partnership with other services to meet the needs of its patient population. There was a system to respond to and learn from complaints. Leaders addressed barriers to equity in people’s experience and outcomes. The provider worked in partnership with external stakeholders, commissioners and partner agencies to provide and develop effective services.
We received feedback from 13 members of staff. They told us there was good teamwork and support from colleagues. Overall, they felt valued and supported by leaders and that they could contribute to decision making about how the service operated and that their opinions would be listened to. However, some staff told us improvements could be made to communication with the management team and to the premises and equipment.
We found breaches of regulation in relation to Good Governance. We have asked the provider for an action plan in response to the concerns found at this assessment.