Silver End GP surgery told to improve after inspection

Following a planned inspection by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), the privately-run Silver End Surgery was rated as requires improvement in three out of five areas.

According to NHS Choices, just 61 per cent of patients say they would recommend it and 53 per cent say it is easy to get through to someone on the phone.

The report, published on July 20, said: “We were not assured that the practice had sufficient arrangements for reviewing and investigating safety incidents and events when things went wrong.

“The trigger for commencing a significant event analysis (SEA) was so high the practice reported to the CQC they had no incidents in the previous 12 months that required investigating.

“On the day of the inspection, the inspector and GP specialist advisor identified incidences that should have been investigated and analysed as they affected patient safety.

"Inspectors found a delay in acting on advice from a consultant meant a patient was left in pain longer than necessary.

Not all appropriate staff had been trained in the Mental Capacity Act, which protects people who may not be able to make their own decisions about care.

The report added: “The system of sharing or learning from significant events was not effective.

“Systems to manage and share care records and information was not coordinated.

“The practice had not held regular multi-disciplinary meetings with partner agencies to discuss shared care.”

The surgery was rated good for being caring and effective and is accepting new patients.

A spokesman for Silver End Surgery and Virgin Care said: “We took on the practice following the sudden departure of an experienced team but we have a strong track record of delivering high quality NHS services and of turning services around.

"Since the inspection in January, we’ve worked hard with the practice team to improve, bringing on new staff, adding extra appointments and running training courses so that patients get the service they expect.”