- GP practice
Drs Jones & Blaylock Also known as Throckley Primary Care
Report from 7 July 2025 assessment
Contents
Ratings
Our view of the service
Date of Assessment: 11 August 2025. Drs Jones and Blaylock is a GP practice and delivers services to 7,440 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 95.16% White, 2.21% Asian, 0.86% Black, 1.15% Mixed and Other 0.62%. Information published by Office for Health Improvement and Disparities shows that deprivation within the practice population group is in the 3rd decile (3 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.
The last focused inspection of this service took place in January 2020, when it was rated as good overall and for the key questions safe, effective and well led. We carried out this assessment on 11 August 2025 as a fully comprehensive inspection. The reason for the assessment was in response to the previous inspection being rated ‘Good’ and having taken place over 5 years ago.
For this inspection the service maintained its overall rating of good.
The service had a good learning culture and people could raise concerns. Managers investigated incidents thoroughly. People were protected and kept safe. Staff understood and managed risks, however we did identify some issues with some of the emergency equipment available and the provider remedied this immediately. 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. In most cases staff managed medicines well and involved people in planning any changes.
People were involved in assessments of their needs. Staff reviewed assessments taking account of people’s communication, personal and health needs. 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 involved those important to people took decisions in people’s best interests where they did not have capacity. However, some prescribing and monitoring practices required improvement to fully align with national standards.
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 visible, knowledgeable and supportive, helping staff develop in their roles. Staff felt supported to give feedback and were treated equally, free from bullying or harassment. Staff understood their roles and responsibilities. Managers and staff worked 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 this service
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. In the 3 months prior to the assessment, the NHS Friends and Family Test for the practice scored consistently above 90%, with the highest result in June 2025 at 97%. In the National GP Patient Survey results for 2025, 82% of patients said their overall experience of this GP practice was either good or fairly good against the National average of 75%.
There was a patient participation group (PPG) who represented the views of people using the service. Representatives from the PPG described good working relationships with the practice and how managers listened to patients, provided regular updates and made positive changes because of feedback. This included the work staff completed to improve patient access to the service which was positively reflected in survey results.
Leaders from the aligned care homes we spoke to provided positive feedback on the standard of care delivered by the staff to their residents. They described it as excellent person-centred care from a staff team who were always friendly, caring, informative and professional with patients and their families.