‘Inadequate’ Spalding surgery is put in special measures

A Spalding GP practice has been put into special measures after it was rated inadequate by inspectors and patients are said to be “at risk of harm” due to missing systems.

Patients at Pennygate Health Centre were deemed to be “at risk of harm” because systems were not in place to keep them safe.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) published its report on the practice headed by Dr Azmeena Nathu on Thursday.

With more than 3,000 patients, the surgery is described as being within the 20 per cent most deprived neighbourhoods in the country.

“Within the practice population there was clear evidence of deprivation,” said the report.

“The practice had a system in place for reporting, recording and monitoring significant events. However, this was not always operated effectively. In some cases the record did not always document learning, changes implemented or whether a review was needed,” said the report.

“The practice did not have a robust system in place to monitor the training of the GPs and staff within the practice,” it added.

The practice was rated as “inadequate” in its care for six population groups; older people, those with long-term conditions, families, children and young people, working age people, those with poor mental health and the vulnerable.

“We found a lack of leadership and governance relating to the overall management of the service. The practice was unable to demonstrate strong leadership in respect of safety,” the report said.

“The arrangements for managing risks were not effective.

“On the day of the inspection the information technology system in place was not fit for purpose as staff were unable to retrieve documents from an external drive,” it added.

The pre-announced inspection was carried out on October 19 with a lead inspector, GP specialist adviser, two members of the CQC medicines team and a practice manager specialist adviser.

The subsequent report outlines areas of improvement which must be made.

These include establishing effective systems relating to good governance in accordance with the fundamental standards of care.

Patient views and experiences must be gathered to ensure services reflect the needs of the population and leadership capacity must be found to deliver all the improvements.

Other areas which should be improved include a complete review for themes and trends of significant events, arrange infection control training, ensure the information technology system is fit for purpose and ensure staff who undertake chaperone duties have a Disclosure and Barring certificate.

The chief inspector of general practice, Professor Steve Field, said he was putting the service in special measures.

He said it would be inspected again within six months and if insufficient improvement had been made “we will take action in line with our enforcement procedures.”

The inspection team also found that staff were motivated and “inspired to offer kind and compassionate care.” The report said: “Feedback from people who use the service and stakeholders was positive.

“Comment cards we reviewed told us that patients were positive about their interactions with staff and said they were treated with compassion and dignity.”

The overall rating for the practice was inadequate, with two of the five benchmarks sharing the grade and the remaining three requiring improvement.

The surgery was above average in the review of asthma patients, those with lung disease and also offered good access to appointments for both GPs and the nursing team.

A spokesman for South Lincolnshire Clinical Commissioning Group, said: “We are disappointed that Pennygate Health Centre, Spalding, has been rated ‘inadequate’ and subsequently placed into ‘special measures’ by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), following its inspection on October 19, 2017.

“We are working with the practice to ensure that the areas of concern have either been resolved or are being addressed. We will continue to offer support to the practice and we will regularly review and monitor its progress.

“We would like to assure patients of our commitment to commissioning the highest quality, safe care for everyone.”