The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has rated Sutton Road Surgery in Erdington, Birmingham, inadequate, and placed it in special measures following an inspection in December.
Sutton Road Surgery, also known as Dr Mehboob Bhatti’s Practice, delivers general medical services to around 1,900 people in Erdington, Birmingham.
The inspection was carried out as part of CQC’s continual checks on the safety and quality of healthcare services.
Following the inspection, the overall rating for the practice, as well as the areas of safe, effective, and well-led have all declined from good to inadequate. Responsive and caring are rated as good again.
The service has been placed in special measures which means it will be kept under close review to make sure people are safe and, and it will be monitored to check sufficient improvements have been made.
Amanda Lyndon, CQC deputy director of operations in the midlands, said:
“When we inspected Sutton Road Surgery, we found a GP practice that wasn’t performing to the required standards to ensure local people were getting the service and treatment they deserve. We identified widespread shortfalls across the service including the assessment of risk, and the management of medicines and the practice overall.
“We found instances where people with symptoms suggesting a serious illness such as cancer, weren’t always assessed appropriately and referred for further treatment. It was also concerning that people on high-risk medicines or those with long term conditions such as asthma or diabetes weren’t monitored or reviewed regularly. We saw staff hadn’t reviewed someone with epilepsy for three years. This lack of effective care placed people at risk of substantial harm.
“We saw that people who were prescribed medicines that could increase the risk of abnormalities in pregnancy had not been advised of the risks of taking these medicines. During the inspection, practice staff reviewed and followed up with these people as part of their improvement action plan.
“However, we did see some positive examples of care as well. Managers developed effective safeguarding systems and alerts were put in place for anybody identified as being at risk of abuse so they could be appropriately supported.
“We will continue to monitor the service closely to ensure significant improvements are made. If we are not assured people are receiving safe care, we will not hesitate to take further enforcement action to ensure people are receiving the high standard of care they deserve.”
Inspectors found:
- There was little evidence of systems and processes for learning, continuous improvement, and innovation
- Published results showed that the uptake of childhood immunisations was below the target 90% as of March 2022
- The practice’s uptake for cervical screening as of March 2023 was below the 80% coverage target for the national screening programme
- The practice did not involve external partners to sustain high quality and sustainable care
- The practice was unable to demonstrate that all staff had updated their skills and knowledge to carry out their roles
- Management arrangements needed strengthening to ensure there were clear and effective processes for managing risks, issues, and performance.
However:
- Staff dealt with people with kindness and respect and involved them in decisions about their care
- There was an effective approach to managing staff absences and busy periods
- The practice was clean, tidy, and hygienic.