Hove doctors’ surgery placed in ‘special measures’ after inspectors rate it as inadequate

A Hove doctors’ surgery has been placed in “special measures” after inspectors rated it as inadequate.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) said today that “England’s Chief Inspector of General Practice has placed Hove Medical Centre, West Way, in Hove, into special measures following a Care Quality Commission inspection which found the quality of care to be inadequate overall.

“Inspectors rated the practice as inadequate for being safe, effective, caring, well-led and responsive to peoples’ needs following an inspection in March.”

To read the full report of the inspection, which details inspectors’ findings and highlights the areas where improvements must be made, click here.

Garry Higgins, head of inspection for general practice in the CQC’s south region, said: “It is important that the people who are registered with Hove Medical Centre can rely on getting the high quality care which everyone is entitled to receive from their GP.

“Patients and staff were at risk of harm because systems were not embedded well enough to keep them safe.

“For example, staff employment checks, infection control, the premises, equipment and unforeseen events were not well managed to ensure appropriate mitigating action was taken.

“We have found significant areas of concern, which is why we are placing the practice into special measures – so opening the way for the practice to receive support from NHS England among others.

“We will continue to monitor this practice and we will inspect again in six months to check whether improvements have been made.

“I am hopeful that the practice will do what is required for the sake of its patients but if we find that the service remains inadequate, we will consider taking further action.”

Sarah Macdonald, director of commissioning at NHS England South East, said: “GP services are at the heart of the NHS and it is important they deliver a high standard of care to all their patients, who rely on the care and treatment they provide.

“We will be working with NHS Brighton and Hove Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) to support Hove Medical Centre to make the necessary improvements for its patients.”

The CQC said that its report highlighted a number of areas of inadequate practice including

• The practice had not ensured that staff had the relevant qualifications, recruitment checks, knowledge and skills to provide safe care.
• The practice could not demonstrate that all staff had received relevant child and adult safeguarding training.
• Adequate systems and processes were not in place to ensure that risks were assessed, monitored, improved or mitigated in relation to the health and safety of patients. For example, cleanliness had not been monitored and vaccines and medicines were not all stored or managed safely.
• People’s dignity, respect and privacy had not been reasonably met, for example, conversations held at reception could be heard from the waiting area.
• While the practice prioritised high quality compassionate care, they did not adequately identify issues that threatened the delivery of safe, high quality care.

The Practice Hangleton Manor has also been rated as inadequate by the CQC and is to close next month. Goodwood Court, in Hove, closed last year when it was deemed inadequate by inspectors from the CQC.

The Hangleton and Knoll Health Forum will discuss the latest developments when it meets at St Richard’s Church on Wednesday 29 June from 10am to noon.

The form has been working with Hove Medical Centre to set up a patient participation group (PPG) which will meet for the first time next month.

“In the final report, the CQC noted that the majority of patients felt they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect but they highlight a number of areas related to our processes and polices at the practice where improvement is required.

“We have already taken urgent steps to address these and to make sure we have all the right policies and processes in place to support your care.

“Since the CQC inspection we have

• started a thorough review of practice policies
• strengthened the measures in place around reporting issues or incidents
• reviewed and updated the staff induction programme
• planned the first meeting of a patient participation group
• improved recruitment and staff processes  and
• reviewed our management structure – the practice will be appointing a new practice manager in due course to support improvements at the surgery

“Some of the issues highlighted in the CQC report will take longer to address but we have a plan in place and the doctors and staff are committed to the work required to achieve the necessary improvements.

“We will be keeping you updated about progress we are making in delivering improvements to our services through our website.

“We always welcome feedback from our patients, both positive and negative, and would encourage you to let us know how we are doing and what you would like to see done better.

“We would like a patient participation group that meets regularly and helps us to improve and would invite you to attend the first meeting at 6.30pm on (Tuesday) 26 July at Hove Medical Centre if you would like to get involved.

“If you are interested in joining our patient group or would like more information about any of the areas highlighted in the CQC report, please speak to staff at the practice and we will be happy to help you.”