Concerns about care at Haringey’s Quality Of Life Medical Centre

An independent consulting doctor service based in Green Lanes in the London Borough of Haringey, although not officially rated by the Care Quality Commission, was providing poor care according to CQC inspectors.

CQC visited the Quality of Life Medical Centre twice in November 2017. Inspectors found the service was not providing safe, effective, caring, responsive and well led services.

CQC inspected on 2 and 8 November and found significant issues in all domains. On 10 November at an emergency hearing at Highbury Corner Magistrates Court, CQC was granted an urgent order under Section 30 of the Health and Social Act, cancelling the registration of the Registered Manager. On the same day, CQC also issued a Notice of Decision, varying the conditions of the provider’s registration to prevent it carrying out any regulated activities at the Green Lanes site.

Quality of Life Medical Centre is a clinic providing a private doctor service and is used mostly by Turkish speakers in the local community. It provides walk-in and same-day doctor and urgent GP appointments as well as pre-bookable appointments with a range of part-time clinicians including a cardiologist, urologist, gynaecologist and a surgeon.

Patients were at serious risk of harm because the registered manager, who was not on the GMC List of Medical Practitioners, was undertaking patient consultations and providing care and treatment to patients.

Professor Ursula Gallagher, CQC Deputy Chief Inspector of GP Practices, said: “Care standards at Quality of Life Medical Centre are of great concern, which is why we have gone to court to use our enforcement powers to prevent the provider from carrying out any regulated activities.”

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