A GP practice in Southwark, south-east London, has been rated Inadequate overall by the Care Quality Commission. This is the first inspection of this practice under its present registration.
The Trafalgar Surgery was rated Inadequate for being safe and well-led. It was rated Requires Improvement for being effective and responsive. It was rated Good for being caring following an inspection in April 2017.
CQC inspectors key findings included:
Patients were at risk of harm. For example medicines expiry dates were unclear, vaccines were not stored safely and not all equipment was calibrated. The practice did not formally review significant events.
Details of the formal complaints process were not made available to patients.
The areas where the practice must now improve include:
- Develop effective systems and processes to ensure safe care and treatment.
- Ensure that staff have access to safeguarding policies and significant event processes that are clear and are reviewed.
- Develop clear risk management (including in relation to infection control), and improving medicines management processes and medicines storage.
- Develop effective systems and processes to ensure good governance.
The areas where the practice should make improvements include:
- Improve the identification of carers among the 3,800 patient list.
- Review accessibility of services for patients with a hearing disability and those patients that do not speak English as their first language.
However, patients were positive about their interactions with staff and said they were treated with compassion and dignity. Patients were able to access appointments at short notice.
Professor Ursula Gallagher, CQC Deputy Chief Inspector of GP Practices, said:
“While I am aware that there have been significant changes at the practice, this outcome means I must place them in special measures with the aim of helping them improve the care for patients."
“If insufficient improvements have been made such that there remains a rating of inadequate we will take action in line with our enforcement procedures to begin the process of preventing the provider from operating the service.”
Special measures will give people who use the service the reassurance that the care they get should improve.
You can read the report in full on our website.
Ends
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