In December 2018, The Practice Bowling Green Street Surgery was subjected to a full inspection by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), and last week the findings were published.
Healthcare watchdog, the CQC, subjected the Surgery to a full inspection and found it to be ‘inadequate’ overall, which is the lowest possible score, highlighting failings that made it unsafe and “requiring improvement“.
The GP Practice cites specialisms in family planning services, maternity and midwifery services, treatment of disease, disorders and injuries.
The Care Quality Commission Report on Bowling Green Street Surgery
The CQC based their judgement of the quality of care of the Practice on a combination of what they found when they inspected, information from their on-going monitoring of data of the GP’s services and information from patients, the public and other organisations.
The Bowling Green Street Surgery was found to have overall failed in having clear systems, practices and processes to keep people safe. Patients care and treatment was not always delivered in line with current standards and the Practice was unable to demonstrate that all staff had the skills, knowledge and experience to carry out their roles. The CQC report also concluded that people were not always able to access care and treatment in a timely way and the Surgery did not always act on appropriate and accurate information.
The CQC report stated:
“There was a lack of systems and processes established and operated effectively to ensure compliance with requirements to demonstrate good governance. In particular we found the practice did not have relevant and up to date policies available to staff.”
“There was no system to ensure blank prescriptions were stored and managed securely. This was in breach of Regulation 17 (1) of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014.”
The Bowling Green Street Surgery will be kept under review and, if needed, could be escalated to urgent enforcement action.
Victoria’s Comment
In a person’s time of need and illness, they will turn to their local GP practice to seek help and guidance, trusting that they are being afforded the level of care, advice and assistance to be expected from professionals when a patient is often at their weakest. GP practices very often act as the gateway between patients obtaining much needed prescriptions, or referrals to consultants with the specialisms required to provide vulnerable patients with the much needed diagnosis and treatment they require.
It is therefore imperative that GP practices maintain a level service that is above ‘inadequate’ and ensure they have clear systems, practices and processes to keep people safe.
If you or a loved one has suffered as a result of the inadequate standard of care provided by The Practice Bowling Green Street Surgery, then you might be able to make a claim for compensation for negligent treatment.
How Nelsons Can Help
Our expert team of lawyers in Derby, Leicester and Nottingham are specialists in medical negligence matters and will guide you through the process of bringing a claim.
If you have been affected by any of the points raised in this blog, please contact us on 0800 024 1976 or via our online form.