Surgery 'putting patients at risk' - No fire safety assessment in a decade and support staff not background checked

Pedmore Medical Practice in Stourbridge has also not carried out a fire safety assessment since 2006, inspectors discovered.

The surgery, in Pedmore Road, Lye, which has almost 3,800 patients, has been told it must improve by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Following the inspection, it was rated as inadequate in terms of safety following the findings. But the surgery was judged to be 'good' by the CQC in other areas, including how caring, effective and well-led it is.

However serious concerns over safety dragged down its overall rating to 'requires improvement'. The surgery is now working on an action plan to address the findings of the inspection.

Reception staff, who also act as chaperones for patients at the practice, had not been subject to disclosure and barring (DBS) checks which delve into a person's background to see if they have a criminal record or have been banned from working with children or vulnerable people, a report by the health regulator said.

When this was raised, officials said the members of staff would never be left alone with patients.

The report said: "Reception staff acted as chaperones and were trained for the role, there were notices around the practice to inform patients that chaperones were available. We found that the reception staff who chaperoned had not received disclosure and barring checks.

"These checks identify whether a person has a criminal record or is on an official list of people barred from working in roles where they may have contact with children or adults who may be vulnerable. The practice informed us chaperones would not be left alone with patients."

It was also found that a fire risk assessment had not been carried out since 2006.

The risk associated with infection control, relating to the use of hazardous substances, were not considered and risk assessments were not carried out to ensure the premises was safe to use, it added.

Risks surrounding the bacteria legionella, which can lead to legionnaires, were also not assessed, the CQC said.

There are treatment rooms on the first floor as well as the ground floor but no lifts are available for patients.

Practice manager, Joanne Lowe, said: "We are really pleased that we were rated good in four out of five areas.

"We hope that patients are not alarmed by this verdict when the patient experience components showed that we rated as good and that the negative areas relate solely to the premises and the recoding of certain procedures.

"We are currently working on an action plan to address these points and in the short term are looking to acquire new premises. We continue to be reassured by our patient's feedback on the caring responsive and well led services we offer.

"If any of our patients have any concerns they should contact the practice where we will be happy to discuss these."