Damning report sees Hednesford GP put in special measures
A GP practice with more than 3,500 patients has been plunged into special measures after a series of failings were found.
Dr Manickam Murugan, based at Hednesford Valley Health Centre on Station Road in Hednesford, has been rated inadequate by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
Inspectors from the health watchdog said patients were being put at risk because security checks had not been carried out on new staff and some emergency medicines were not being stocked. Inspectors also saw a patient had been prescribed antibiotics without being spoken to or see by a clinician, with no information recorded in their notes.
The practice’s safety, effectiveness and leadership were all given the rating of inadequate, and the practice was given an overall rating of inadequate.
It is now in special measures and has six months to show significant improvementsto health bossess, or Dr Murugan’s surgery faces closure.
CQC inspectors visited the practice back in May and have now released their report. It is the second time the practice has failed an inspection in as many years, after being The practice was rated rated requires improvement in 2016.
The latest report reads: “There was a lack of clinical leadership and governance within the practice.
“Patients were at risk of harm because there was no clinical oversight of the message/triage book to ensure clinical staff working in advanced roles were taking appropriate action or recording information in patient notes.
“Patients were at risk of harm because systems and processes were not in place to keep them safe. For example, the practice had not carried out appropriate recruitment checks on staff before employing them, store vaccines in line with manufacturers’ guidelines, or check all blood results in a timely manner.
"The refrigerator temperatures were not checked and recorded daily and the practice did not stock a full range of emergency medicines.”
Despite the various concerns raised by inspectors,Inspectors did praise the surgery’s responsiveness and care - rating both good.
The report stated: “Survey information we reviewed showed that patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and they were involved in decisions about their care and treatment.“We saw staff treated patients with kindness and respect, and maintained patient and information confidentiality.”
A practice spokesman said: “The Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspected our practice in May as part of its routine inspections of all GP practices.
The inspectors found that we provide a good, caring service that was responsive to people’s needs. We are pleased that the CQC’s report also acknowledges the positive feedback we have received from patients about being treated with compassion, dignity and respect and patients’ involvement in their care and decisions about their treatment.
“However, they also identified areas where we needed to improve and we will be working closely with the CCG and NHS England to address the issues they have raised.”
“We would like to thank our patients for their loyalty and support and assure them that we are committed to ongoing improvements so we can continue to offer a safe and caring service to local people.
“Any patients who have queries or concerns can contact the surgery on 01543 870570.”
