GP Practice Previously Rated Good Placed Into Special Measures by CQC

St Lukes Surgery, Hedge End, Southampton has been placed in special measures by the CQC following a deterioration in the quality of its services.

The surgery was inspected following an information security breach that was publicised on their website.

Inspectors found that there was a significant decline in standards and rated the surgery as Inadequate overall, placing it into special measures.

The CQC found there was no longer a registered manager at St Luke’s Surgery and there appeared a general decline in leadership within the practice.

• There was a lack of clear leadership to deliver the practice’s vision and strategy. 
• Staff turnover had resulted in a number of management and clinical vacancies. This resulted in a gap in skills mix for monitoring of long-term conditions such as asthma.
• The practice did not have clear systems to mitigate or manage risk.
• Not all staff had a record of having completed safeguarding training.
• Patients found it difficult to use the appointment system and reported that they were not able to access care when they needed it. 
• There was limited evidence to demonstrate how the practice was responding to concerns raised by patients around accessing the service.

Ruth Rankine, Deputy Chief Inspector of General Practice for the South of England, said: “I find it concerning that the high quality, consistent good care we found at our first inspection has diminished to such as degree. While it is good to see that staff are still providing a caring service there needs to be an overall improvement within the practice for the sake of its patients. As a result of these concerns I have recommended the practice will benefit from being placed into special measures, so the practice can receive the support it needs to improve.

“We will continue to monitor progress and we will inspect again within six months to check whether sufficient improvements have been made. I am hopeful that the practice will do what is required for the sake of their patients but if we find that the service remains inadequate, we will consider taking further enforcement action even if that leads to cancelling its registration.”