A GP surgery in Sittingbourne has been rated inadequate for a second time by the Care Quality Commission and remains in special measures, following an inspection undertaken in July.
Green Porch Medical Centre was first rated inadequate at an inspection in January, where CQC identified concerns around patient waiting times and the standards of care being provided to people.
The latest inspection was carried out to assess whether improvements had been made and to seek assurances that patients being treated at the service were safe. CQC inspectors found some improvements had been made although there were still issues that were putting people at risk.
As well as being rated inadequate overall, the service is rated inadequate for being safe, effective and well-led. It is rated requires improvement for being caring and responsive.
CQC has issued the service with a warning notice and if significant improvements aren’t made, CQC will take action in line with our enforcement procedures to begin the process of preventing the provider from operating the service. This could lead to cancelling their registration or varying the terms of their registration if they do not improve.
The service remains in special measures and continues to be monitored by CQC.
Neil Cox, CQC head of primary services inspection, said:
“Although we did find some improvement at the service, there were still issues that were cause for concern. “People couldn’t access treatment when they needed it, and appropriate recruitment checks still weren’t being carried out on staff, so we weren’t assured they could carry out their roles safely. Risks to patients weren’t being effectively assessed or monitored and leaders still needed an improved oversight of the service and the issues it faces.
“We have told the service what it must do to further improve but if we aren’t assured people are safe at the service, we won’t hesitate to take further enforcement action, against Green Porch Medical Centre. In the meantime we will closely monitor the service and liaise with our partner agencies to review the improvements needed.”
The inspection found:
- People weren’t always able to access care and treatment when they needed it, and test results weren’t provided in a timely way
- Patients’ needs weren’t always accurately assessed or met
- Medicines weren’t well managed and those on high-risk or long-term medication weren’t monitored or reviewed to ensure their safety
- Staff weren’t always consistent and proactive in helping patients to live healthier lives
- The delivery of the childhood immunisation and cervical cancer screening programmes were below the national target.
However,
- Staff treated patients with kindness and respect and involved them in decisions about their care
- Some improvement had been made across the service including patient engagement, governance and management.