Staff had basic infection control arrangements in place and on the day of the visit the service looked visibly clean. But there were shortfalls because the very fabric of the building, including its flooring, walls and furniture, did not allow for effective deep cleaning to prevent or minimise the risk of infection. As a result people were not reasonably protected from the risk of infection. The provider had not taken steps to provide care in an environment that was suitably designed and the building was not fully accessible to people with disabilities. The building had not been well maintained over many years by the maintenance company and as a result it was in need of significant updating and refurbishment.
The building was owned by a private company (Curtis Medical). Responsibility for the buildings maintenance was with NHS Property Services.
The provider had raised serious concerns about infection control and the safety and suitability of premises with the appropriate national and local bodies including the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
The provider and managers said that over many years, a number of attempts had been made to obtain approval for funding to improve or redevelop the premises. Decanting to a Porto cabin in the nearby car park and moving to a new building were options that had been considered, but neither had materialised. Since then, a number of changes and reorganisations had taken place at a national NHS level and it appeared that this had impacted on the ability of the service to get clarity about its future and agreement about the funding of the building works.
The concerns raised in this report about infection control and safety and suitability of premises were also relevant to community health services who operate separately, but share the location address with St James Practice. Community services carried out a range of treatments including blood tests, health visiting and a baby clinic from the building.