Village GP surgeries rated good and better than the UK average

GP surgeries at Staindrop and Cockfield have been rated good overall after an inspection by the Care Quality Commission last month.

The village surgeries are operated by Woodview Medical Practice.

They were rated good across all areas including safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led.

Inspectors praised the practices for their support for people to manage their health and wellbeing “to maximise their independence, choice and control” and where possible reduce their future needs for care and support.

They added: “Staff focused on identifying risks to people’s health, including those in the last 12 months of their lives and those with caring responsibilities.

“Staff supported national priorities and initiatives to improve population health, including stopping smoking and tackling obesity.

“Information about these initiatives was available on the practice website.

“There was a member of staff trained in smoking cessation, who regularly contacted service users who smoked to offer support.”

Inspectors recognised that the surgeries routinely monitor people’s care and treatment to continually make improvements.

They noted that the surgeries performed better than the England average in relation to cervical screening uptake.

They added: “Staff contacted patients by phone who had been referred on a fast-track pathway who they could see had not yet been given a follow up appointment by another service.

“Staff also contacted parents by phone who had not brought children to routine immunisation appointments.

“The service treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity.

“Staff treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect.”

They also noted that the practices performed better than the national average in the 2026 GP patient survey, particularly in being able to access the service and the care received.

The report said: “This showed people could access the service when they needed it in a way that suited their needs, such as by phone, in person or via the website.

“There was a system in place to detect when the phone lines were particularly busy, and to overflow those calls into the office of practice management who could then assist in answering calls.

“This was not needed regularly.”

The report was issued on October 15.