Enter and view: The Village Medical Centre, Littleborough

Healthwatch Rochdale carried out an Enter and View visit at The Village Medical Centre in Littleborough on 23 September 2025 as part of a planned quality visit for the Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale Integrated Care locality. The practice serves approximately 4,200 patients and is operated by GP Care Services. The purpose of the visit was to assess how patients access services, including appointment systems, telephone arrangements, digital access, and patient engagement through the Patient Participation Group (PPG). Observations were made, staff were engaged, three patients were spoken to in the waiting area, and a telephone “mystery shopper” exercise was conducted the same week. 

The visit found that patients could access appointments through multiple routes, including by telephone, in person, and using digital systems such as PATCHS and the NHS App. Appointments were available on the day of the visit, and patients could choose face-to-face or telephone appointments depending on clinical need. Extended hours services were offered through a nearby practice, and the surgery could refer patients to advanced paramedics and paediatric nurses. However, the report highlighted issues with the telephone system, including frequent engaged lines, limited information provided when calls were held, and a lack of self-care options within telephone messaging. 

The practice largely operates as a traditional family GP service, with an older patient demographic who tend to prefer booking appointments by telephone or in person rather than online. Digital support is available, with staff helping patients to use the NHS App, and an NHS digital open day having been hosted locally. Despite this, relatively few appointments were booked using PATCHS. 

Observations during the visit showed that the building was clean, well maintained, and accessible. The practice benefits from good transport links, including nearby bus stops, parking, and proximity to a train station. The entrance and interior were wheelchair accessible, seating was sufficient, and facilities such as toilets and prescription drop-off boxes were well maintained. Some information displays, including TV screens and banners, were either not in use or difficult to read, and the PPG banner was positioned where it was not very visible to patients. 

The report found that the practice has a well-established and active Patient Participation Group that meets regularly and contributes positively to both the practice environment and the local community. The PPG supports charity events, maintains flower displays outside the practice, and has influenced small but meaningful improvements, such as changes to bathroom facilities. However, the group was described as limited in diversity, with little active recruitment of new members, and the online link for joining the PPG was not working at the time of the visit. 

Healthwatch Rochdale made several recommendations to improve patient experience, including reviewing and improving the telephone system, increasing self-care messaging options, making patient feedback more visible through a “you said, we did” noticeboard, improving visibility of the PPG, fixing website links, and increasing patient awareness through newsletters. The practice responded positively to many of these recommendations, confirming actions such as restoring the PPG banner to reception, adding a “join us” link to the website, improving telephone options with the provider, and planning to introduce a new patient feedback noticeboard. The report was also scheduled to be discussed at a future PPG meeting.