A Newham GP practice has again been rated overall Inadequate and has been closed by the Care Quality Commission.
Dr Surendra Kumar Dhariwal’s GP practice in Romford Road, in the London Borough of Newham, which looked after 1,350 people, was rated Inadequate for being safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led, following the inspection in July 2017.
The practice appealed against CQC’s decision to cancel its registration. The case was heard in court at a First Tier Tribunal that decided it was not disproportionate for CQC to cancel the provider’s registration. The provider’s’ registration was cancelled on 2 October 2017; it is no longer operating and has closed.
Previous inspections in June 2016 and March 2017 resulted in the practice being rated overall inadequate and placed into special measures and little has changed.
Inspectors found at the most recent inspection:
- Staffing arrangements were unclear and there were gaps in maintaining relevant staff checks or information such as Disclosure and Barring Service.
- There were weaknesses in staff appraisal procedures and training.
- Areas of the premises were dusty and some items were visibly dirty or out of date.
- A significant amount of medicines and equipment were not fit for use and there were no effective systems in place to address this.
- There was no evidence of the duty of candour or that lessons were learned from individual concerns and complaints or analysis of trends and action taken as a result to improve the quality of care.
Before its closure, CQC inspectors had recommended that the practice: ensure care and treatment is provided in a safe way to patients; ensure premises and equipment is fit for use; establish effective systems and processes to ensure good governance in accordance with the fundamental standards of care; ensure staff receive the appropriate support, training, professional development, supervision and appraisal necessary to enable them to carry out the duties; maintain all necessary employment checks for all staff.
Professor Ursula Gallagher, CQC’s Deputy Chief Inspector of GP Practices, said:
“I was very concerned about patient care at Dr Surendra Kumar Dhariwal’s practice and the lack of response or improvement we have witnessed since previous inspections."
“This service was placed in special measures in November 2016. Insufficient improvements have been made despite two more inspections since then. In the interests of patients we were left with no option but to use our powers to cancel the registration of Dr Surendra Kumar Dhariwal’s practice, thus closing the practice"
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I was very concerned about patient care at Dr Surendra Kumar Dhariwal’s practice and the lack of response or improvement we have witnessed since previous inspections
Professor Ursula Gallagher, CQC’s Deputy Chief Inspector of GP Practices