- GP practice
The Pines Surgery
Assessment report published 23 July 2026
Contents
Ratings
Our view of the service
Date of Assessment: 16 to 23 June 2026.
The Pines Surgery is a GP practice delivering services to approximately 11,100 patients under a contract held with NHS England, from its location at Harborough Road North, Kingsthorpe, Northampton, NN2 8LL. The National General Practice Profiles states that the ethnic make-up of the practice population is 85.2% White, 5.6% Asian, 4.9% Black, 3.1% Mixed and 1.2% Other. Information published by Office for Health Improvement and Disparities shows that deprivation within the practice population group is in the 8th decile (8 of 10). The lower the decile, the more deprived the practice population is relative to others. The practice advised us they have a high proportion of elderly patients. 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.
Under our previous methodology, at the last inspection in January 2024, the practice was rated requires improvement for providing safe and responsive services, resulting in an overall rating of requires improvement. This announced assessment was carried out due to the existing rating. We assessed all 5 key questions to establish if the services provided are safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led.
During this assessment, we saw evidence of a strong learning culture and people could raise concerns. Managers investigated incidents thoroughly. People were protected and kept safe. 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. There was continual training and development of staff which was recognised as integral to achieving high-quality care. Staff managed medicines well and involved people in planning any changes.
There was a holistic approach to assessing, planning and delivering care and treatment to people who used services. Care was based on latest evidence and good practice. 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 were consistent in supporting people to live healthier lives through a targeted and proactive approach to health promotion and prevention of ill health, and every contact with people was used to do so.
The practice treated people as individuals and staff were highly effective in how they made sure people’s care, support and treatment met their needs and preferences. People were treated with kindness and compassion, and staff protected their privacy and dignity. Leaders were exceptional at supporting and enabling staff to deliver person-centred care.
The practice delivered services which were tailored to meet the needs of individual people and were delivered in a way to ensure flexibility, choice and continuity of care. People knew how to give feedback and were confident the service took it seriously and acted on it. The practice had worked to improve patient access and to eliminate discrimination. People received fair and equal care and treatment. The practice 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.
The leadership, governance and culture were used to drive and improve the delivery of high-quality person-centred care. The practice had exceptionally 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. There were high levels of staff satisfaction and high levels of constructive staff engagement. There were clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability and good governance. They used these to drive and improve high-quality, sustainable care, treatment and support. There was a strong focus on continuous learning, research innovation and improvement. The leadership team had an inspiring, shared purpose to motivate staff to succeed.
People's experience of this service
The practice encouraged and used feedback from people who used the service to make improvements. Both verbal and written complaints were investigated and used to drive improvement. Feedback from the NHS Friends and Family Test was positive, with 100% of respondents between 1 April 2026 and 9 June 2026 describing their experience as good or very good. People we spoke with were positive about the quality of their care and treatment. The results of National GP Patient Survey published in July 2025 showed people were extremely satisfied with services, with scores predominantly above local and national averages. For example, the percentage of patients who responded positively to how easy it was to contact their GP practice on the phone was 62% compared to a national average of 53%. The percentage of patients who responded positively to having confidence and trust in their healthcare professional during their last appointment was 94% compared to the national average of 93%. Leaders advised they had invested significantly to improve overall patient experience with access, including the recruitment of more staff and significant changes to the appointment management and workforce planning systems. There was an established patient participation group (PPG) who represented the views of people using the service. Representatives from the PPG described how they felt valued by the practice, were engaged and listened to by leaders.