PATIENTS’ safety was found to be ‘at risk’ at a Rugby doctor’s surgery which has been placed into special measures following a damning report by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
Central Surgery’s overall rating has dropped from ‘good’ to ‘inadequate’ after a CQC inspection in December to follow up on concerns about the quality of care.
The surgery was also rated ‘inadequate’ for safety and leadership, and ‘requires improvement’ in the effectiveness and responsiveness categories. The rating for caring remains ‘good’.
Inspectors, who found several breaches of regulation, said the Corporation Street surgery and its branch at Bilton Green Surgery did not have appropriate emergency medication, and staff had not been trained in basic life support.
They added that ‘caring and compassionate’ staff did not feel supported by practice leaders, and felt they could not raise their concerns.
Sonia Brooks, CQC deputy director of operations in the midlands, said a lack of good leadership was having an impact in most areas of the practice.
She said: “It was worrying that the practice wasn’t regularly reviewing the effectiveness and appropriateness of care.
“People’s records weren’t good enough to support staff in carrying out medicines reviews. Notes from discussions and test results weren’t always recorded.
“Despite the issues with leadership and process, we did see staff who were caring and compassionate.
“We’ve told the provider where they must make rapid improvements, and we’ll continue to monitor it closely to ensure people are safe. If we don’t see improvements, we will not hesitate to take further action.”
Inspectors also criticised the practice for failing to make sure people were trained to safeguard children and vulnerable adults, complaints not being shared with staff, and resuscitation decisions not being fully documented.
The surgery was praised for identifying older people living with frailty, reviewing the care of people with long-term conditions and complex needs, and helping people to live healthier lives.
Central Surgery’s GP partners said: “Our CQC inspection occurred at the height of winter pressures and the report was very disappointing.
“Our mission is to serve our patients. We recognise them as individuals and strive to deliver the excellent healthcare they deserve. We provide a service 52 weeks a year and have a team of dedicated and hardworking healthcare professionals aiming to adapt and improve care as medical science and the NHS develops post-Covid.
“Despite a national crisis of low morale in the NHS and particularly in general practice, we are still passionate about serving the people of Rugby. We believe we offer a high standard of patient care and want to reassure all our patients this will continue and improve further going forward.
“Many improvements have already been delivered and we are working to rectify all the issues identified as soon as possible.”
The practice will be re-inspected to check for improvements.
Visit https://tinyurl.com/fp8w5ddn to read the full CQC report.
