CQC take action after an inspection at The Surgery, Railway Street, Gillingham, Kent

Published: 30 November 2018 Page last updated: 30 November 2018
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The Care Quality Commission has rated Dr Samuel Bhasme (also known as The Surgery Railway Street) based at Railway Street, Gillingham Kent inadequate for the third time, this follows a recent re-inspection of the practice in October 2018.

Following inspection in July 2017, when Dr Samuel Bhasme’s practice in Gillingham, Kent was rated inadequate overall and placed into special measures, a further inspection in March 2018 found that insufficient improvements had been made by the practice. The practice was again rated inadequate, placed into special measures for a second period of time and issued with a Warning Notice. 

At a focussed inspection in June 2018, inspectors found that the practice had not made sufficient improvements in order to meet the Warning Notice issued. Following this inspection CQC imposed conditions on Dr Samuel Bhasme’s registration with CQC. These conditions were:

  1. There must not be any new patients at Dr Samuel Bhasme practice registered without the written permission of the Care Quality Commission unless those patients are newly born babies, or are newly fostered or adopted children of patients already registered at Dr Samuel Bhasme.
  2. Dr Samuel Bhasme must submit to the Care Quality Commission, on a monthly basis, copies of significant events management and fire safety management action plans, including dates for completion of each action.

At re-inspection of Dr Samuel Bhasme on 9 October 2018, the Care Quality Commission found that there had been insufficient improvements made by the practice. The practice was again rated inadequate overall as well as inadequate for providing safe, effective, responsive and well-led services.

Ruth Rankine, Deputy Chief Inspector of General Practice CQC’s South region said:

“It is clear that Dr Samuel Bhasme’s practice is consistently not providing care and treatment to patients in a safe way, This can’t go on. After two periods of special measures, we have seen insufficient evidence that the practice is prepared to improve enough. The practice is still rated inadequate overall, reflecting the level of our concerns.

“Our priority must be to ensure consistently safe, effective and responsive care for patients. We have previously imposed conditions on Dr Bhasme to protect patients, and we are now considering further enforcement action. We will continue to monitor the service,  and will publish further details of action we are taking in due course.

Key findings of CQC’s inspection included:

  • Improvements to the systems, processes and practices that helped to keep patients safe and safeguarded from abuse were insufficient.
  • The practice had not made sufficient improvements to the assessment and management of risks to patients, staff and visitors.
  • Information to deliver safe care and treatment to patients was not always available.
  • Improvements to the arrangements for managing medicines to help keep patients safe were insufficient.
  • The practice was not keeping records of action taken (or if no action was required) in response to receipt of all notifiable safety incidents.
  • Not all staff were up to date with essential training.
  • Patients were not always able to access care and treatment from the practice within an acceptable timescale for their needs.
  • The practice was unable to demonstrate they had an effective system to manage complaints and concerns.
  • Improvements to governance arrangements at the practice had taken place but were insufficient.
  • Improvements to processes for managing performance were insufficient.

Ends

For further information please contact CQC Regional Engagement Manager John Scott on 07789 875809 or, for media enquiries, call the press office on 020 7448 9401 during office hours.  Journalists wishing to speak to the press office outside of office hours can find out how to contact the team here: www.cqc.org.uk/media/our-media-office (Please note: the duty press officer is unable to advise members of the public on health or social care matters).

For general enquiries, please call 03000 61 61 61.

About the Care Quality Commission

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and social care in England.

We make sure health and social care services provide people with safe, effective, compassionate, high-quality care and we encourage care services to improve.

We monitor, inspect and regulate services to make sure they meet fundamental standards of quality and safety and we publish what we find to help people choose care.