The Chief Inspector of General Practice has placed a GP practice in Forest Gate, east London, into special measures.
Care Quality Commission Inspectors rated Dr SKS Swedan & Partner, as Inadequate overall and Inadequate for being safe and well-led. It was rated Requires Improvement for being effective, caring and responsive, after an inspection in May 2016.
Inspectors found that some of the practice’s systems and processes had weaknesses or were not in place to keep patients safe. For example, the chaperoning policy and arrangements for reporting and preventing accidents and incidents were not robust.
Medicines were not always managed safely and effectively.
There were gaps in staff training and the induction programme including fire safety, infection control, annual basic life support and safeguarding.
However, patients generally said they found it easy to make an appointment with a named GP and urgent appointments were available the same day. The practice had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs.
A full report of the inspection, which details inspectors’ findings and highlights the areas where improvements must be made, has been published.
Ursula Gallagher, Deputy Chief Inspector of General Practice in CQC’s London region said: “It is important that the people who are registered at Dr SKS Swedan & Partner can rely on getting the high quality care which everyone is entitled to receive from their GP.
“We have now placed the practice into special measures – which means we will inspect again in six months’ time. This will enable the practice to access all the support it needs via NHS England, using the vulnerable practices scheme.”
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