GP practice placed in special measures after CQC inspection

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By Emma Wilkinson

A GP practice in the West Midlands has been placed in special measures after the Care Quality Commission (CQC) rated it inadequate.

After a visit in June, inspectors said the practice, which has 6,000 patients, had failed on leadership and safety.

The two GP partners at The Limes Medical Centre in Stourbridge have been given 6 months to make “rapid and widespread” improvements or have the practice removed, the CQC said.

While it recognised the strain the practices were currently working under, the regulator said the practice was not safe across several measures including staff recruitment, training and supervision, issues with premises that included having no hot running water for months, and gaps in patient care.

Staff morale at the practice was very low with a number of staff reporting there was a lack of communication, inspectors found.

'Gaps in patient care'

At the time of inspection, the practice manager was not in work with an interim manager in place one day a week which inspectors said was “not sufficient”.