'Inadequate' Wolverhampton GP surgery put in special measures

Care Quality Commission inspectors visited the Dr Anthony Christopher practice at Heath Town Medical Centre on Chevril Rise in Wolverhampton, which was given the lowest ratings for safety and effectiveness.

Health chiefs have now demanded improvements in managing the risks to patients against inappropriate or unsafe care.

• Click here to see the full report

The regulator discovered that non-medical staff working in the surgery did not have the required disclosure and barring service check (DBS) carried out before they started work. This means that some staff may have criminal records, or may not be suitable for working with vulnerable people, including children.

According to the findings of the report, 49.8 per cent of patients said they could not always see or speak to their preferred GP and only 54.7 per cent of people with diabetes using the surgery were regularly assessed. The national average for these assessments is 89.2 per cent.

In addition, only 48.8 per cent of people with asthma at the surgery had undergone an asthma review in the last twelve months, which is 'significantly below the national average.'

Staff had also not received training in safeguarding vulnerable adults so as to identify possible signs of abuse.

The regulator found that the surgery did not have a 'formal system in place for recording and monitoring incidents and accidents', nor a way of monitoring the quality of care delivered to patients.

It stated: "There was insufficient monitoring of performance to demonstrate people received effective care and treatment."

Patients said that they had to wait a long time to be seen at their appointments, and the practice 'did not proactively seek feedback from patients', according to the report.

The regulator has placed the surgery in special measures, meaning it will be inspected again in six months. CQC has told the surgery that it must introduce systems to 'manage risks to patients and others against inappropriate or unsafe care'.

It must also make sure that all staff have a DBS criminal record check prior to starting work or a risk assessment to justify why a check has not been done and regular internal audits should take place.

If improvements have not been made to the service by the time the CQC return for a further inspection in six months' time, action will be taken - which could lead to cancelling their registration or varying their terms.

The GP at the surgery declined to comment on the report.