England’s Chief Inspector of General Practice has placed a Kent GP practice in special measures following a deterioration in the quality of its services.
Staplehurst Health Centre in Offens Drive, Tonbridge, Kent, had been previously been rated Requires Improvement during an inspection in November 2016 although it was rated Good for the delivery of Effective and Caring services.
During the latest inspection in November 2017, a specialist team found that there was a significant decline in standards. The practice is now rated Inadequate overall and has been placed into special measures. Staplehurst Health Centre is rated as Inadequate for being safe and well led, Requires Improvement for being effective and responsive to people’s needs and Good for caring.
The full report of the inspection has been published on our website.
CQC had found improvements from the previous inspection in November 2016 including an improvement in dealing with managing safety alerts and all staff now had Disclosure and Barring service checks. Inspectors did find a further range of issues which required attention from the practice at this November 2017 inspection.
The practice staff were not always able to demonstrate that they could identify and manage risk. When incidents did happen the practice was not always able to demonstrate that the subsequent action and learning was effective.
The practice was not always able to maintain a decent standard of hygiene and cleanliness
While most patients’ needs were fully assessed, including their clinical needs and their mental and physical wellbeing, care plans for patients with dementia were not always complete or personalised.
Ruth Rankine, Deputy Chief Inspector of General Practice for the South of England, said:
“While I find it encouraging that Staplehurst Health Centre has worked hard to ensure improvements have taken place, I am disappointed that at this inspection further significant concerns have been identified by our inspectors."
“As a result of these concerns the practice will benefit from being placed into special measures, so the service can receive the support it needs to improve."
“We will continue to monitor progress and we will inspect again within 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 the service remains inadequate, we will consider taking further enforcement action even if that leads to cancelling its registration.”
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significant concerns have been identified by our inspectors
Ruth Rankine, Deputy Chief Inspector of General Practice