CQC places Venkat Medical Centre GP Practice into Special Measures

England’s Chief Inspector of General Practice has placed a Birmingham GP practice into special measures following an inspection by the Care Quality Commission.

The Care Quality Commission has found the quality of care at Venkat Medical Centre to be Inadequate following an inspection carried out in February. A full report of the inspection has been published today.

Venkat Medical Centre is part of the NHS Birmingham Cross City Clinical Commissioning Group. The CCG covers a population of approximately 738,378 people registered with 117 practices. The practice is located within a small shopping area in the Tile Cross area of Birmingham.

Under CQC’s new programme of inspections, all of England’s GP practices are being given a rating according to whether they are safe, effective, caring, responsive and well led.

Inspectors found that while staff at Venkat Medical Centre offered a caring and supportive service, patients were at risk of harm because systems and processes were not in place to keep them safe. For example, there was insufficient staffing for the smooth running of the service and to fully meet the needs of patients.

Data showed patient outcomes were at, or below average for the locality. National guidelines were understood and referred to but had not been discussed or disseminated among staff.

The report highlights a number of areas where improvements must be made. These actions tell the practice to:

• Implement robust governance arrangements to ensure appropriate systems are in place to manage risks to patients and others. This should include staffing, management of unforeseen events, equipment, premises, legionella risk, fire safety and recruitment.
• Regard should be made to information available and patient views in delivering services and driving improvements.
• Review staffing levels to ensure there are sufficient staff for the smooth running of the practice and the provision of safe services.
• Ensure that staff have appropriate support and the necessary training to enable them to deliver the necessary care.

CQC is working closely with NHS Birmingham Cross City Clinical Commissioning Group and NHS England to support the practice, while it addresses the issues identified by the inspection.

Janet Williamson, Deputy Chief Inspector of General Practice and Dentistry in CQC’s Central region said:

“It is important that the people who are registered with the Venkat Medical Centre can rely on getting the high quality care which everyone is entitled to receive from their GP.

"Although the patients we met told us they were treated with dignity and respect, we also found that care and treatment was not always delivered in line with best practice and the service has staffing issues it must address.

“We know that the Venkat Medical Centre has acknowledged the areas where action must be taken. We have found significant areas of concern, which is why we are placing the practice into special measures - so opening the way to support from NHS England among others.

“We will continue to monitor this practice and we will inspect again in six months to check whether improvements have been made. I am hopeful that the practice will do what is required for the sake of its patients, but if we find that the service remains inadequate, we will consider taking further action.”

Ends

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