The CQC result
- SafeGood
- EffectiveGood
- CaringGood
- ResponsiveGood
- Well-ledGood
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspected Burnett Edgar Medical Centre on 15 October 2026 under its new focused inspection approach. On 22 October, it rated us Good in all five areas: safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led.
The inspectors were considerate, polite and supportive throughout. They focused firmly on patients and on staff, and they wanted to be sure we deliver safe and effective care. They were also constructive and understood the pressures facing the whole NHS, in primary and secondary care alike, as demand rises and funding stays tight.
Keeping a Good rating in every area is a testament to the hard work of everyone at Burnett Edgar. I would like to thank the whole team for their commitment to our patients.
The work goes on
But a Good rating does not mean our work is done. We know many patients still struggle to get through to us. Some wait a long time on the phone, and that is frustrating. We also need to improve our premises and our services. We see this result as a baseline to build on, not a finish line.
Listening to patient feedback from our surveys, our Patient Participation Group and other forums, we have been working with our PPG, patients, staff and our own IT team on a three-year transformation plan, which we also shared with the CQC inspectors. Its aim is to improve access and respond better to our patients' needs. This includes:
- A new practice website. It has just launched at burnettedgarmedicalcentre.nhs.uk. It is mobile-friendly and accessible, so patients can find the right care, order medicines and check information from their phone in a few taps.
- MARA, our new AI receptionist and online assistant, coming in early December. MARA is not live yet. It is being tested with our Patient Participation Group, whose feedback so far has been excellent, and we aim to launch it in early December. Once live, MARA will let patients tell us what they need in their own words, by phone or online. It will check the request isn't an emergency and pass it straight to the right person in our team. It will also help answer calls at busy times, or when staff are off sick, so patients aren't left waiting in a phone queue. We would welcome more patients to help us test it: if you'd like to take part, please call the surgery on 01229 474526 or email lscicb-mb.bemcpatient@nhs.net.
- Freeing up staff time. We are bringing in automation and AI tools that help our team process documents faster and summarise consultations, so clinicians can spend more time with patients.
- Better premises. We are working with our partners in the hope of starting improvements to the building within the next 12 months.
Our aim is simple: however you contact us, whether by phone, online or by walking in, your request should reach us without delay. Our staff will use the same intelligent tools behind the scenes to handle it.
A Good rating is our starting point. Our ambition is to give the best possible care, and to be rated Outstanding when the CQC next visits.
Thank you
None of this happens without our community. We are grateful to our patients for their support and their patience over the years. A good example is the Walney Community Garden behind the surgery, which our patients, staff and neighbours helped create last year. It has become a regular part of life for many people, whether or not they are registered with us. We thank everyone who has been part of that, and part of this journey so far.
Dr Farhan Amin
GP Partner, Burnett Edgar Medical Centre
Notes to editors
- CQC inspected Burnett Edgar Medical Centre on 15 October 2026 and published its ratings on 22 October 2026: Good for safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led. Read the full CQC report.
- Burnett Edgar Medical Centre is a GP practice on Central Drive, Walney Island, Barrow-in-Furness.
- Media enquiries: Dr Farhan Amin, GP Partner, via 01229 474526 or lscicb-mb.bemcpatient@nhs.net.