CQC rates London Street Surgery, Reading, as Inadequate and places it in special measures

The Care Quality Commission has placed the London Street Surgery in Reading into special measures following a comprehensive inspection which has rated it as Inadequate.

The practice will now be able to access support from NHS England and the Royal College of General Practice to help it improve.

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

A full report from the inspection, carried out in August 2015, has been published on the CQC website.

Inspectors found that the practice, registered as Dr N Essa and Dr M Harrold, had no clear leadership structure. There was insufficient leadership capacity and limited formal governance arrangements.

Inspectors found that staff were unclear about how to report incidents, near-misses and concerns. Recording of events was inconsistent and there was no evidence of learning or information sharing with staff.

There was limited evidence of the surgery having systems in place to drive improvements in care. Clinical audits were not always effective, CCG prescribing targets had not been met and some areas of the quality and outcomes framework required improvement.

Patients were however positive about their interactions with practice staff and said they were treated with compassion and dignity.

Ruth Rankine, Deputy Chief Inspector of General Practice said:

“Dr N Essa and Dr M Harrold, from the London Street Surgery, provide general medical services to over 4,400 registered patients. All patients are entitled to expect high quality and consistent care from their GP practice.

“We have found significant areas of concern, which is why we are placing this practice into special measures. This will enable them to receive a package of support to help them improve, from NHS England and the RCGP.

“We will continue to monitor progress and we will inspect again in six months to check whether sufficient improvements have been made. I am hopeful that the practice will do what is required for the sake of their patients, but if we find that services remain inadequate, we will consider taking further action."

Dr Geoff Payne, Medical Director, NHS England said:

“The CQC report for London Street Surgery rates the practice as good for providing a caring service and staff have been commended for their commitment to patient-focused care. However, there are several areas where improvements need to be made in the management of the practice including the administration of meetings, staff capacity, medicines management and sharing and acting upon learning.

“Patient safety is our top priority. Together with South Reading Clinical Commissioning Group, we are supporting the practice to develop and implement action plans so that they can make improvements quickly.

“We encourage patients to continue to support the practice during this time.”

Ends

For further information please contact Yetunde Akintewe, CQC Regional Engagement Manager, on 07471 020 659.  For media enquiries, journalists wishing to speak to the press office outside of office hours can find out how to contact the team here.  For general enquiries, please call 03000 61 61 61.