MEDICAL PRACTICE PLACED IN SPECIAL MEASURES OVER BREACHES ON SAFETY

A doctors’ surgery has been placed in special measures after failings in safety, resulting in an ‘inadequate’ overall rating.

The Care Quality Commission found that the Manchester Road East Medical Practice in Worsley was in breach of the Health and Social Care Act after an inspection in June.

Dr Sean O’Kelly, the CQC’s chief inspector of health care, said that the practice had ‘failed to establish and operate effectively an accessible system for identifying, received, recording, handling and responding to complaints by services users’.

He said that recruitment systems were not effective and relevant legislation was not adhered to and the the process for managing significant events was ‘not effective’.

“Safety alerts were not appropriately actioned, patients prescribed high risk medicines were not always appropriately monitored, emergency medicines had not been considered, and were not safely stored,” he said.

“Actions had not been taken following the infection prevention and control audit and information provided to locum GPs was not accurate.”

Dr O’Kelly said that a total four breaches of regulations were found. and that the practice must ensure care and treatment is provided in a safe way to patients and establish effective systems and processes to ensure good governance ‘in accordance with the fundamental standards of care’.

Dr Kelly added:

“We rated the provider good for providing caring services. Staff dealt with patients with kindness and respect and involved them in decisions about their care.”

The practice is part of a wider network of GP practices – the Walkden and Little Hulton Primary Care Network – and serves 2,295 patents.

It has one male doctor and a female GP who works half a day each week. There is a practice nurse, a practice manager and a team of administrative staff.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service has contacted the practice and Walkden and Little Hulton Primary Care Network for comment.