Burnham-On-Sea’s MP has this week revealed Burnham and Berrow Medical Centre was close to being closed down over the summer following an inspection by the Care Quality Commission that identified a number of urgent improvements.
MP James Heappey says “it looked as if the practice would be closed” following August’s inspection until Symphony Healthcare Services stepped in and took over the running of the practice.
Burnham-On-Sea.com reported here that Burnham and Berrow Medical Centre has been told to make urgent improvements to patient safety by the CQC’s healthcare inspectors.
The full inspection report is due to be published soon, and Mr Heappey has warned this week that it “will make for grim reading.”
Mr Heappey adds: “I’ve been working to resolve constituents’ complaints about the medical centre for around three years, with many pre-dating the pandemic.”
“However, around eighteen months ago it became clear from the volume of complaints that there was something seriously awry at the practice and I engaged the Somerset Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) to intervene.”
“After a series of attempted interventions – including the secondment to the Burnham and Berrow Medical Centre of a leading CCG doctor – it became clear that the practice leadership were unable (or unwilling) to make the full changes needed to meet the required standard.”
“Moreover, as a consequence of the concerns I raised, the CCG asked the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to look at the practice and their initial findings led to a moment of crisis in August when it looked as if the practice would be closed.”
“Mercifully this was avoided through the quick actions of the Integrated Care Board (ICB) – the new name for the CCG – who asked Symphony Healthcare Services to step in and take over the running of the practice.”
The Symphony Healthcare Services role is to support the surgery by providing day to day management of the practice. The management support will help to ensure that staff at the practice are supported to provide the care that patients need, and that additional clinical workforce is secured.
Mr Heappey adds: “I’m enormously grateful to the team at Burnham and Berrow Medical Centre for the speed with which they’ve embraced their new management and the appetite they’ve shown for turning the practice around.”
“In the coming weeks, the full CQC report will be published and I’m afraid it will make for grim reading. That’s unsurprising given that we were literally hours away from the CQC forcing the practice to close, but I know their conclusions will cause significant alarm within the community nonetheless.”
“It is important to say, therefore, that the new management has already reviewed the notes of the most at-risk patients and they’ve been invited to come in for check-ups.”
He adds: “The review of the remainder of patient notes is underway and remedial action will be taken where necessary there too. If you are feeling ill, you should of course make contact with the surgery.”
“However, if on reading the CQC report you are concerned that your care has also fallen short – but you aren’t currently unwell – I encourage you to let the new team do their job and trust that they’ll be in touch with you if there’s care outstanding that you need.”
“I will continue to engage with both Symphony and the ICB to make sure the turnaround at Burnham and Berrow is completed as quickly as possible and that the practice returns to a safe way of working immediately. I’m also supporting the practice, Symphony and the ICB in their recruitment of new staff.”
“I hope you’ll soon see an improvement in the service provided by the practice but please be reassured that an excellent team are now urgently reviewing all patient notes and that shortfalls in care will be rectified as a priority.”
“Please do, however, give them the space to get through this significant amount of work unless, of course, you are feeling ill, in which case you should contact them immediately.”
CQC inspectors are yet to publish their full report but NHS Somerset says it is expected “shortly”. A CQC inspection in 2021, triggered by concerns, rated the practice as “requires improvement,” including two breaches of regulations.
Burnham and Berrow Medical Centre stopped accepting new NHS patients in autumn 2021 when it said it was experiencing staff shortages, an issue that it has been struggling with for several years. NHS Somerset said Symphony will ensure more clinicians are secured for the practice.
