A GP practice in Harlow has been rated inadequate by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and placed in special measures, following an inspection in May.

Lister Medical Centre, Harlow, was inspected as part of CQC’s ongoing checks on the levels of care and treatment provided to people.

At the inspection, concerns were found relating to staffing levels, waiting times, the management of risks, the storage of medicines and the management of high-risk medicines – all of which were putting patients at risk of harm.

As well as being rated inadequate overall following the inspection, the practice was rated inadequate for being safe, effective, responsive to people’s needs and well-led. It was rated good for being caring.

Due to the issues inspectors found, CQC served the practice a warning notice, in order to focus them on making rapid and widespread improvements to keep people safe.

As it is now in special measures, the service will be kept under close review by CQC. It will be inspected again within six months to assess whether improvements have been made.

If insufficient improvement is made, CQC will take further enforcement action to ensure patients are not exposed to avoidable risk of harm. In the most serious of circumstances, this could include preventing the practice from providing care and treatment to people.

Andy Brand, CQC’s head of inspection for primary medical services said:

“Our inspection found standards of care at Lister Medical Centre were well below those people have a right to expect due to staff shortages and a lack of effective leadership.

“Staff weren’t equipped to deal with medical emergencies and they hadn’t all received adequate safeguarding training to protect patients from abuse. We also found there was no effective way for staff to identify vulnerable patients, which meant people weren’t receiving the support they needed. 

“It was difficult for people to access appointments and treatment, and there were delays in dealing with their referrals and test results.

“Leaders also failed to demonstrate they had the skills to deliver high quality, sustainable care.  

“Our priority is to keep people safe, and the practice knows what it must improve.

“We will reinspect the service again in the coming months to assess whether the practice is compliant with its legal obligations, and to ensure a safe and high-quality service is being provided to all patients.”

Finding at the inspection included:

• Systems and processes to keep people safe were not effective.
• There weren’t enough staff, so it was difficult for patients to access appointments.
• There were delays in referrals and test results.
• Appropriate recruitment checks hadn’t always been carried out to ensure staff were suitable for their roles.
• Staff weren’t equipped to respond to medical emergencies.
• Medicines were not stored securely, and the management of high-risk medicines wasn’t safe.
• Patient treatment wasn’t always regularly reviewed and updated.
• Vulnerable patients could not be easily identified.
• Patients with long-term conditions hadn’t been proactively monitored throughout the pandemic.
• Complaints were not managed effectively and learning from incidents wasn’t routinely shared with all staff.
• Childhood immunisations and cervical cancer screenings were below the national average.
• There was poor leadership at the service.

The full report can be found on CQC’s website.