A Rainham GP practice has been rated Inadequate by the Care Quality Commission and placed into special measures in a bid to help it improve.
Dr Kodaganallur Subramanian’s surgery in Harlow Road in the London Borough of Havering, looks after approximately 1800 patients in the area.
It was rated as Inadequate for being safe, effective and well-led. It was rated Requires Improvement for being caring and responsive to people’s needs following the inspection in January 2017.
A long list of areas where it must improve includes:
- Ensuring mandatory training is completed by all staff including safeguarding, fire and infection control.
- Ensure the practice is adequately equipped to respond in the case of an injury requiring first aid.
- Taking steps to improve the practice’s performance in the management of long term conditions such as diabetes, mental health, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and peripheral arterial disease.
- Consolidating the complaints process and ensure learning from complaints is discussed and shared.
- Ensuring appropriate recruitment checks are carried out for all future employees.
- Setting up a Patient Participation Group so that patients have a voice in development of services at the practice.
The practice should also: review staffing levels to make sure patients’ needs are met; ensure patients are made aware or translation services; identify patients who have caring responsibilities and offer them more support and install a hearing loop to support patients with hearing difficulties.
Professor Ursula Gallagher, CQC's Deputy Chief Inspector of General Practice, said:
"We are placing Dr Kodaganallur Subramanian’s surgery into special measures. Services placed in special measures will be inspected again within six months. If insufficient improvements have been made such that there remains a rating of inadequate we will take action in line with our enforcement procedures. The service will be kept under review and if needed could be escalated to urgent enforcement action. Special measures will give people who use the service the reassurance that the care they get should improve."
“Patients did tell us that they found it easy to make an appointment with the GP and there was continuity of care, with urgent appointments available the same day.”
Patients registered with the practices being placed into special measures should be aware that a package of support is offered by NHS England and the Royal College of GPs to ensure that there are no immediate risks to patient safety at these GP practices whilst improvements are being made.
You can read the full report on our website.
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