Wolverhampton GP practice is rated as Inadequate by the Care Quality Commission

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has found the quality of care provided by Poplars Medical Practice to be Inadequate following an inspection carried out in December.

Poplars Medical Practice provides a primary medical service to over 3,200 patients living in and around Wolverhampton. The population served is younger than the national average and it is located in one of the most deprived areas in the country.

A full report of the inspection has been published today.

Under CQC’s new programme of inspections, all of England’s GP practices are being given a rating according to whether they are safe, effective, caring, responsive and well led. The practice was rated Good regarding whether services were caring, Requires Improvement regarding whether services were responsive and Inadequate regarding whether services were safe, effective and well-led. This resulted in an overall rating of Inadequate.

The report on Poplars Medical Practice highlights a number of areas where improvements are needed, these include:

• The practice must ensure effective systems are in place for the management of risks to patients against inappropriate or unsafe care. This should include the management of unforeseen events, the premises, staffing and recruitment.
• Robust recruitment processes must be followed to ensure only suitable staff are employed. Roles should be risk assessed in the absence of criminal record checks to determine whether they are required.
• Consent for treatment must be appropriately documented to demonstrate that risks, benefits and complications associated with the procedure have been explained and understood by the patient.
• Staff must have clearly defined roles and responsibilities with appropriate support and supervision to ensure they are working within their competencies.
• The practice must establish robust systems for the management and handling of complaints.

CQC has been working closely with NHS England and Wolverhampton Clinical Commissioning Group to support the practice whilst it addresses the issues identified by the inspection.

Janet Williamson, Deputy Chief Inspector of General Practice and Dentistry in CQC’s Central region said:

“It is important that the people who are registered with Poplars Medical Practice can rely on getting the high quality care which everyone is entitled to receive from their GP.

“We know that Poplars Medical Practice has acknowledged the areas where action must be taken and the service has been making efforts to improve. We will return to check its progress. If in the coming months we don’t see sufficient improvement we may have to consider a package of further measures to ensure that this practice delivers the care and treatment to a standard that we all expect."

Ends

For media enquiries, call Regional Engagement Officer, Helen Gildersleeve on 0191 233 3379. Alternatively, the CQC press office is available on 020 7448 9401 during office hours or out of hours on 07789 876508. For general enquiries, call 03000 61 61 61.