- GP practice
High Oak Surgery
Assessment report published 16 October 2025
Contents
Ratings
Our view of the service
Date of Assessment: 13 August 2025 to 2 September 2025. High Oak Surgery is a GP practice and delivers service to 4,347 patients under an Alternative Provider Medical Services (APMS) contract held with NHS England. The practice is operated and managed by The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust, which oversees its governance, strategic direction, and clinical service delivery.The Trust became the registered provider for High Oak Surgery on 1st October 2024, with practice staff formally transferred as part of the transition.
The National General Practice Profiles states that 85.8% of patients registered at High Oak Surgery are White, 7.6%; Asian, 2.4% are Black and 4.2% are mixed other ethnic groups. Information published by Office for Health Improvement and Disparities shows that deprivation within the practice population group is in the second decile (2 of 10). The lower the decile, the more deprived the practice population is relative to others.
This is the first inspection for this service since its registration with CQC. We assessed all quality statements across the safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led key questions. Where relevant, further commentary is provided in the quality statements section of this report.
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. The facilities and equipment met the needs of people, were clean and well-maintained and any risks mitigated. Managers made sure staff received training and regular appraisals to maintain high-quality care. 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 and took decisions in people’s best interests where they did not have capacity.
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 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
The practice encouraged and used feedback from patients who used the service to make improvements. As part of this assessment, we reviewed patient feedback data available from the National GP Patient Survey, the NHS Friends and Family Test (FFT) and feedback to CQC.
Patients reported that staff at the practice were helpful and supportive; however, patients also reported they sometimes faced difficulty in accessing appointments.
The National GP Patient Survey for outcomes in relation to kindness, compassion and dignity found that 75% responded positively to the overall experience of the practice (national average 75%), 88% of respondents felt the healthcare professional they saw or last spoke with was good at listening to them (national average 87%), 90% had confidence and trust in the healthcare professional they saw or spoke to (national average 93%), 85% felt the healthcare professional was good at treating them with care and concern (national average 86%); 92% felt they were involved as much as they wanted to be in decisions about their care and treatment (national average 91%) and 86% felt the reception and administrative team were helpful (national average 83%). Feedback regarding access showed that 72% responded positively to the overall experience of contacting their GP practice (national average 70%) and 53% responded positively to how easy it was to contact their GP practice by phone (national average 53%).
The Friends and Family Test data for June 2025 showed that 91% of patients rated their overall experience of the service as ‘good or very good’.
There was a patient participation group (PPG) as part of The Primary Care Network (PCN) who represented the views of people using the service.