GP defends Wolverhampton practice over 'shambles' claim
The GP at a surgery put into special measures after it was branded an 'absolute joke and shambles' by patients has defended his practice.
Poplars Medical Practice, in Low Hill, Wolverhampton, looks after 3,320 people. Following an inspection by the Care Quality Commission in December, a report revealed staff had not had sufficient training, rooms were cold and there was no female clinician to give smear tests.
But Dr Gurmit Mahay said there are 'no clinical concerns' at his practice.
"I would like to give my personal assurance to all patients and users of Poplars Medical Practice that we are a strong, stable practice," he said.
"We are in no danger of being closed down because we have the support of the GPC/BMA, our CCG, NHS England and our patients.
"We are fully aware of the changes we need to bring about to address the issues highlighted by the CQC.
"There are no clinical concerns.
"The issues are of an administrative nature."
CQC inspectors rated the practice inadequate in three of five categories - safe, effective and well led.
It received a good rating under the caring category and was said to require improvement in the responsive category.
Another claim from the report was that there was no female clinician able to give a cervical smear, leading to a low uptake of 67 per cent for smear tests.
Dr Mahay said: "In terms of the smear testing, very few of our patients have expressed the wish to have their smear test performed by a female clinician and if they do, they are referred to the Snow Hill Clinic which is an NHS facility where they can get their smear test done by a female nurse.
"We have never experienced any problems with this arrangement.
"Other GPs also refer their patients there in the same way."
Inspectors also found that the surgery on Third Avenue was cold, to which Dr Mahay replied: "The inspection was carried out in the depth of winter, in December when the weather is generally cold.
"The practice building has been used since the 1920s as a General Practice from the time of the original GP and Alderman, Dr Byrne-Quinn.
"I have invested a lot of personal money over the years to make the building more modern and comfortable as a lot of my long-standing patients comment, whom I have known for the last 24 years and who have seen all the improvements we have made, but it remains the original building."
