Park Medical Centre

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 service 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. The rating remains good following this assessment.

We found the provider had clear and effective governance processes, which supported the safe delivery of care. The provider had a vision and mission statement to provide a good quality service that was responsive to people’s needs. Work was needed to ensure all staff understood the future development plans for the service. Staff understood their roles and responsibilities and those of other members of the team and staff understood the lines of accountability. Overall, staff told us they were positive about working at the practice. They felt valued and supported by colleagues and leaders. They felt able to contribute to decision making about how the service operated and that their opinions would be listened to. The provider supported learning and innovation and worked closely with stakeholders to improve services for patients. Leaders demonstrated that they understood the challenges to quality and sustainability. There were appropriate arrangements for the availability, integrity and confidentiality of data, records and data management systems. Information was used effectively to monitor and improve the quality of care and treatment provided.

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 which was based on transparency, inclusion and engagement and developed through a structured planning process and in collaboration with people who used the service. The provider understood the challenges and needs of people and their communities and was collaborating with partner agencies to support people effectively. Staff spoke of a shared vision to provide a high quality, patient centred service that was responsive to people’s needs. All staff we spoke to felt positive about working at the practice and feedback from staff questionnaires was consistently positive. They described good teamwork and a service that was clear on its function to work in the interests of patients and provide the best patient experience they could.

Regular meetings were held for clinical and non-clinical staff including a daily meeting for all staff. Members of the team told us that communication was effective, and they felt included in decisions about the service.

The service 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 and did so with integrity, openness and honesty. Patients were at the heart of everything they did, and they demonstrated the importance of staff wellbeing to support them in maintaining good outcomes for patients. Staff told us managers and partners were visible, and open-door policies were in place for when staff needed support. The provider was knowledgeable about issues and priorities for the quality of services and staff told us there was a compassionate management team.

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up, and their voice would be heard. Staff and leaders acted with openness, honesty and transparency. Leaders encouraged staff to raise concerns and promoted the value of doing so. We received 23 completed CQC staff feedback forms out of 30. All staff who commented felt well supported and confident to raise concerns. The practice operated a staff suggestions box (both physical and digital) and staff were encouraged to give anonymous contributions and new ideas. Suggestions were reviewed by the management team and discussed at staff meetings, with feedback shared on outcomes or next steps to demonstrate that input was valued and acted upon. Staff had clear safe routes to raise concerns, there was a whistleblowing policy and staff had been provided with access to an independent freedom to speak up guardian to better promote transparency, trust and psychological safety within the workplace.

The provider valued diversity in their workforce. They worked towards an inclusive and fair culture by supporting equality and diversity for people who worked for them. Staff felt empowered and confident that their concerns and ideas resulted in positive change to shape services and create a more equitable and inclusive organisation.

Reasonable adjustments were made to support staff to conduct their roles. Staff with caring responsibilities were actively supported with a flexible approach and changes to schedules to accommodate their needs.

Staff had completed training in equality, diversity, and inclusion and were aware of supporting people with protected characteristics such as age, gender, religion, or disability. We saw and heard of no concerns with regards to workforce equality at any level including the recruitment of staff. The practice had an equality, diversity, and inclusion policy.

There were good arrangements for identifying, managing, and mitigating risks. The service had clear responsibilities, roles and systems of accountability and used these to manage and deliver good quality, sustainable care, treatment and support. They acted on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, and shared this securely with others when appropriate.

Staff we spoke with were clear on their individual roles and responsibilities and they could access all required policies and procedures. Managers held regular practice meetings with staff, during which they discussed clinical concerns and emerging risks. Managers clearly recorded any actions arising from these meetings and ensured they shared these with staff. Staff took patient confidentiality and information security seriously.

The provider demonstrated a clear commitment to collaboration and partnership working to ensure services operated seamlessly for patients. The provider shared information and learning with partners and engaged in joint initiatives to drive improvement across the PCN. Examples of this included the Running for Health project which was aimed at engaging patients with exercise to improve their cardiovascular risk, the One Chester Community Partnership which undertook numerous projects to promote the health and wellbeing of Chester residents and the PCN Patient Steering Group which enabled a PPG representative from each of the participating GP practices to meet quarterly in order share and discuss ideas.

There was a focus on continuous learning and improvement across the service.There were regular clinical meetings to discuss patient needs and best practice.Systems for assessing the quality of the service and outcomes for patients were in place.

Leaders and staff were proactive in sharing ideas and using good practice to improve care. They regularly listened to feedback from patients and the community, using it to shape and assess new ways of working. An example of this was the implementation of the digital front door appointment booking system which was implemented in part due to feedback from patients about their experience of booking appointments. The new system has not yet been fully evaluated, and the practice intended to conduct another patient survey sometime before the end of the year. However, Friends and Family feedback in August 2025 which mentioned appointments was mostly positive.

Leaders also invested time and resources to support staff and encourage collaboration with patients. Staff had time and support to build their skills in improvement and innovation, and there was clear evidence of this being put into practice. Everyone was encouraged to come forward with ideas and take ownership of change.