Stuart Road Surgery in Pontefract criticised for failings in Care Quality Commission report

A GP surgery has been heavily criticised for failing patients in a damning report by the healthcare regulator.
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Stuart Road Surgery, which serves nearly 9,000 people in Pontefract has been rated inadequate by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

The practice failed to ensure some patients who showed signs of having a long-term condition got the treatment they needed, inspectors said.

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The CQC also claimed a number of patient records were missing blood test results and that some of the surgery's procedures were "out of date".

The surgery is run by three partner GPsThe surgery is run by three partner GPs
The surgery is run by three partner GPs

Wakefield Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), which runs all local GP practices, said the findings were being addressed and that patients should continue to use the service "as normal".

The surgery is run as a partnership between three GPs - Drs Taylor, Sreelatha and Thachankary - and was inspected by the CQC in late March.

In their report, which was published last week, the regulator said that staff at the practice "reported low morale and high workloads".

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It was also suggested the surgery had not ensured the premises was "kept clean" and that there was a "backlog" of correspondence and new patient records to be dealt with.

The surgery serves nearly 9,000 people in Pontefract.The surgery serves nearly 9,000 people in Pontefract.
The surgery serves nearly 9,000 people in Pontefract.

The report also said: "Searches of patient records showed that the practice had not ensured that all patients who showed a potential diagnosis of a long-term condition had received further care and treatment appropriate to their needs."

The surgery was graded inadequate for its service to each of six separate population groups, including children, older people and patients with mental health problems.

In a statement, Wakefield CCG said it was supporting the practice "to make sure that robust systems and processes are put in place, as a matter of urgency, to address any issues that have been identified."

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It added: "It has been a year of increased challenges for health services, brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic.

"The CQC inspection indicated some positive findings including patients being able to access online services and a range of advice and appointment types, patients with a learning disability being offered an annual health check, patients at risk of dementia being identified and offered an assessment to detect possible signs of dementia and staff receiving dementia training.

"NHS Wakefield Clinical Commissioning Group are working closely with the Stuart Road General Practice to ensure that they address the CQC’s recommendations in full.

"Support is being provided to the practice by colleagues from its local primary care network and NHS Wakefield Clinical Commissioning Group to make sure that services to patients meet the appropriate standards now and in the future.

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"The practice recognises the need to improve the service to its patients, welcomes the support being offered and has already started making improvements to address the issues identified.

"Patients should continue to use the practice as normal."

Having been placed in special measures, the surgery will be re-inspected within six months.

Local Democracy Reporting Service