Blackpool's Adelaide GP Surgery rated inadequate
The Practice has been put into special measures
A GP Surgery in Blackpool has been rated inadequate by the Care Quality Commission, and has been put into special measures.
Adelaide Surgery serves over 15 thousand patients at three sites in Blackpool, one at Elizabeth Street, one at Gorton Street and one at Kentmere Drive.
The Quality Care Commission found failings in it's safety, effectiveness, care, responsiveness to patients and leadership.
The findings
A report by the CQC notes that patient records were not adequately processed or stored, due to what the practice manager said was a staffing issue.
There was also backlog in referrals due to an entire staff group being absent at the same time, in one known case a referral had been missed.
There was no system to ensure there was always a fire warden at each site, despite having three.
In terms of staff records, records of DBS checks for all staff were not held, and proof of identity for some staff wasn't either. In one case where a DBS disclosure had recorded a previous conviction for one of the staff members, there was no record of this being considered, or any evidence of identity, references or employment history for them.
Practice nurses had not been authorised to administer certain medicines, and the practice couldn't prove that medicines were kept at an appropriate temperature.
In a clinical search conducted, six out of eight patients prescribed Amiodarone (a medicine for heart rhythm problems) were not adequately monitored. Four out of five checked in detail never had their magnesium levels checked, and low magnesium levels increase the risk of serious hearth rhythm abnormalities.
The Commission also found that people's needs weren't listened to and so discomfort, concern or distress may have resulted. The wellbeing of staff also was not promoted.
A high staff turnover rate was noted, and the practice had three practice managers in the last two years.
However, recent survey results did find that people were mainly satisfied with services, and there was a new system in place to provide assurance that appropriate safeguarding actions had been taken.
The report states, "We found breaches of regulation in relation to safe care and treatment, good governance and fit and proper persons employed.
"This service is being placed in special measures. The purpose of special measures is to ensure that services providing inadequate care make significant improvements.
"Special measures provide a framework within which we use our enforcement powers in response to inadequate care and provide a timeframe within which providers must improve the quality of the care they provide."
Statement from the CQC
Linda Hirst, CQC deputy director of operations in the north-west, said: “When we inspected Adelaide Surgery, we were disappointed to find a practice that wasn’t providing safe GP services to people. Our experience tells us that when a service isn’t well-led they are less likely to be able to provide good care which is what we found here.
“Leaders didn’t ensure there was an effective system to triage people to prioritise needs when allocating appointments which could place people at risk of harm if they had a serious issue or condition.
“Urgent referrals were usually actioned on the day they were requested, but there had been a recent backlog due to a whole staff group being absent from work at the same time. For example, some important pathology results hadn’t been actioned for over a month which could delay people’s diagnosis and treatment.
“It was positive, however, that staff understood the diverse needs of people in the local community. For example, they worked closely with asylum seekers and people living in care homes to ensure harder to reach people could access services and receive support when needed.
“We have told leaders where we expect to see rapid improvements and we will continue to monitor the service closely to keep people safe during this time.”
Response from Adelaide GP Surgery
A spokesperson for the Practice said, "We acknowledge the findings from the recent CQC inspection and fully accept that improvements are needed. It is of great concern to us that our patients have experienced a service that has fallen below the standards they rightly expect and deserve.
"Since the inspection, we have been working closely with the Lancashire & South Cumbria ICB and our Local Medical Committee to make rapid and lasting improvements. This includes strengthening our clinical systems, improving how we manage test results and referrals, and ensuring that patient safety and access are at the heart of everything we do.
"Our team is committed to learning from this feedback and to rebuilding the confidence of our patients and community. We want to reassure everyone that we are determined to provide safe, effective and compassionate care for all our patients."