- GP practice
Castle Mead Medical Centre
Assessment report published 28 August 2026
Contents
Ratings
Our view of the service
Date of Assessment: 13 July 2026. Castle Mead Medical Centre is a GP practice and delivers services to approximately 11,000 people under a contract held with NHS England. The practice also operates a branch site, Pine Close Surgery. We did not visit the branch site at this assessment. According to the latest available data, the ethnic make-up of the service area is approximately 94.5% White, 2.6% Asian, 1.8% Mixed, 0.6% Black and 0.5% Other. Information published by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities shows deprivation within the service population group is in the 9th decile (9 of 10). The lower the decile, the more deprived the service population is relative to others.
This was a focused assessment. We undertook this assessment due to the length of time since our last assessment. We assessed 10 quality statements from across all 5 key questions. 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.
Staff kept facilities clean and maintained equipment appropriately to ensure people were kept safe. They assessed and managed the risk of infection well and took steps to control the risk of it spreading. There were sufficient numbers of staff with the right skills, qualifications and experience. Staff supported people to live healthier lives, monitoring their care and treatment to ensure they received positive and consistent outcomes. Staff treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion, and respected their privacy and dignity. Although some patients reported difficulties accessing the practice, leaders were aware of these challenges and were taking steps to improve access arrangements.
Leaders and staff were alert to discrimination and inequality that could disadvantage groups of people who used the service and sought ways to address any barriers. The service had a clear vision and strategy, which considered the needs of the people who used their service and the wider community. Staff understood their individual roles and responsibilities. Leaders accounted for the actions, behaviours and performance of staff through clear and effective governance processes.
People's experience of this service
As part of our assessment, we reviewed feedback from people who used the service to understand their views and experiences. The feedback received was positive about the quality of care and treatment provided, with only a small number of comments containing mixed views. People described the care provided using terms such as excellent, amazing, and second to none. This positive feedback was reflected in the results of recent surveys, including the 2026 National GP Patient Survey, which indicated high levels of patient satisfaction. The survey results demonstrated that the service performed significantly above national averages. For example, 85.6% of respondents were positive about their overall experience of the GP practice, compared to the national average of 75.4%. There was an active patient participation group (PPG) who represented the views of people using the service. Representatives from the PPG described how leaders made positive changes because of feedback.