Inadequate GP surgeries could be forced to close down, the NHS regulator has announced.
Surgeries that fail to meet the standards required by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) will be given two chances to improve, under new measures set to be introduced in October.
Following an initial warning and a deadline for improvements, surgeries that fail to address the issues raised by CQC inspectors will be put into “special measures”. Control will then be handed over to NHS England, the GP funding wing of the health service, which will order changes to be made.
If the problems are still not eradicated within six months, the practice will have its registration cancelled and therefore be unable to operate.
Understandably, many surgeries, especially in deprived areas or places where it is difficult to recruit qualified staff, fear communities most in need of access to health care could lose a vital service.
Buildings that are in a poor condition and a lack of funding might also cause problems that are not the fault of the staff, Dr Chaand Nagpaul, of the British Medical Association’s GP committee, told The Guardian.
“The last thing we want is for GP practices to close when what patients need is high quality, local services,” he said.
The CQC, however, says it would need to discover “serious failings” during a GP practice inspection, in order to deem it inadequate and order improvements.
These failings might include poor hygiene, inadequate medicine management, or a lack of criminal records checks for all staff working on the premises.
In recent years, CQC inspectors have discovered problems at GP surgeries that presented a danger to patients. These have included infection risks, out-of-date drugs, emergency oxygen that had passed its expiry date, and a lack of procedures for monitoring the quality of care.
As medical negligence solicitors, we shall be watching the new regime with interest. Sadly, cases of patients bringing legal action against GP surgeries are common, with complaints ranging from cancer misdiagnosis to harm caused by assumption or reluctance to take patients seriously.
It’s hard enough to get GP appointments and we certainly don’t want to see practices shut down. Surgeries must be given every opportunity to address failings, and we would hope that any issues are viewed in the context of often difficult operating conditions.
But any measures that ultimately protect NHS patients from inadequate or dangerous health care practices are to be welcomed.
