Lack of Process, Procedure and Management Oversight Leads to Inadequate CQC Rating

A GP practice serving patients in Waltham Forest and Hackney has been rated Inadequate overall by the Care Quality Commission.

Vicarage Road Medical Centre has been rated Inadequate for being safe, effective and well-led. It was rated Requires Improvement for being caring and responsive, after the inspection in November 2017.

The CQC found that:

• Childhood immunisation uptake was below national averages.
• There was no clinical oversight from the GP in the Quality Outcome Framework exception reporting process.
• Arrangements for alternative clinical cover were not always in place.
• The national GP patient survey showed that patients rated services provided by the nurse and access to appointments below the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and national averages.
• The practice did not have up to date personnel records for locum staff members.
• There was minimal management oversight in staff training and completed training such as child safeguarding and infection control was out of date.

However, inspectors did find that staff involved and treated patients with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect. And there was an active patient participation group.

Acting Deputy Chief Inspector of General Practice, Michele Golden, said “We are placing this service in special measures. Services placed in special measures will be inspected again within six months. Special measures will give people who use the service the reassurance that the care they get should improve."

“However, the service will be kept under review and if needed could be escalated to urgent enforcement action.”