A GP practice in London’s East End has been placed into special measures today after being rated “inadequate overall” by inspectors.
The All Saints Practice in Poplar’s Newby Place health centre was rated “inadequate” by the Care Quality Commission in the categories of ‘safety’, ‘caring’ and being ‘well-led’.
It also “requires improvement” in ‘effectiveness’ and ‘response to people’s needs’, following the inspection in November.
There was a system in place for highlighting and monitoring patient safety alerts, but inspectors found “in reality this was not being adhered to”.
Patients said the “poor continuity of care” made it difficult to feel involved in decisions about their care and treatment, as well as finding it difficult to make appointments, the Commission’s report states.
But the practice—which is appealing against the ‘special measures’ order—has now been told it must make sure appropriate action is taken to monitor patient safety alerts, make sure of effective arrangements for safely managing medicines and make sure ‘significant events’ are investigated and recorded.
“We are placing All Saints Practice into special measures,” the CQC’s Deputy Chief Inspector of General Practices Prof Ursula Gallagher said.
“It will be inspected again in six months and we’ll take action with enforcement procedures if there remains a rating of ‘inadequate’.
“The service will be kept under review and if needed could be escalated to urgent enforcement action.”
The practice with 6,000 patients is run by the Hurley medical group, which said it was “disappointed and surprised” at the inspection findings.
A Hurley group spokesman told the East London Advertiser: “We are disappointed by the report and are appearing the decision. We have an action plan in place in line with what the CQC has asked for.”
The practice currently has a doctor on maternity leave and is recruiting to cover the absence. Two GPs are permanently registered, with agency doctors looking after some surgery sessions, it is understood.
The surgery moved into the Newby Place centre in 2012. The centre on the corner of East India Dock Road opened with a fanfare as an NHS ‘one stop shop’ offering services for diabetes, audiology, foot health, district nursing, health visiting, mental health, psychology, midwifery and community nursing, sexual health and children’s speech and language therapy.
Dr Sam Everington, who chairs Tower Hamlets GPs commissioning group, said at the time: “The new health centre reflects our determination to develop high quality facilities for the people of Limehouse and Poplar.”
All Saints practice moved to the centre from smaller premises in Robin Hood Lane, offering appointments 12 hours a day, 8am to 8pm Monday to Saturday.
The ‘special measures’ are aimed at giving patients “the reassurance that the care they get should improve”, the CQC report states. Patients were treated with compassion, dignity and respect, the report adds, but “the poor continuity of care made it difficult to feel involved” in decisions about their treatment.
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