NHS Somerset bosses hope to reassure users of Burnham & Berrow Medical Centre that they are “working intensively to address significant problems” that were found by inspectors from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) after they placed the centre into special measures this week.
It comes after Burnham & Berrow Medical Centre was inspected over the summer and found to be failing in 10 key areas, including patient safety.
Following the inspection, CQC imposed “urgent conditions” on the practice and says it has placed Burnham Medical Centre into special measures.
Since August’s inspection, Symphony Healthcare Services has stepped in and is helping to run the centre, which was near to closing down.
Dr Bernie Marden, Chief Medical Officer for NHS Somerset, told Burnham-On-Sea.com this week: “NHS Somerset has been working intensively with GP partners and the Burnham and Berrow practice team to address the significant problems that the CQC has identified.”
“The practice has an action plan, agreed with us and the CQC, to make the required improvements as quickly as possible. We are meeting regularly with the practice to make sure the necessary changes are made.”
“NHS Somerset has also taken contractual enforcement action to ensure that care for patients at the practice is safe and effective. Alongside this, a range of help has been offered to, and accepted by, the practice.”
“In the short time this support has been in place we are seeing some improvements. A new system has been introduced to reduce the backlog of documents and correspondence, and a recall of patients with long term conditions requiring review has started.”
“Those patients concerned are being contacted directly and asked to attend a consultation, blood test, or being offered a telephone review.”
“We can assure patients that their safety is of paramount importance and patients should continue to contact the practice for their healthcare need in the normal way.”
“The practice team have worked hard over the past few months to introduce better processes to care for patients, but it will take time to make all the changes needed.”
“All patients have recently received a letter about the challenges and developments at the practice. A helpline has been established to help patients who have any questions or concerns. The number is 0300 303 6409 and the line is open between 10am and 6pm, Monday to Friday.”
The inspection report states that “significant concerns” were identified by CQC relating to patient safety and leadership and governance.
Since August’s inspection, Symphony Healthcare Services has stepped in and is helping to run the practice, which was near to closing down.
As well as being rated inadequate overall following the inspection, the practice was rated inadequate for being safe, effective, responsive to people’s needs and well-led. It was rated requires improvement for being caring.
As it is now in special measures, the service will be kept under close review by CQC. It will be inspected again to assess whether improvements have been made.
If insufficient improvement is made, CQC will take further enforcement action to ensure patients are not exposed to avoidable risk of harm.
In the most serious of circumstances, this could include preventing the practice from providing care and treatment to people.
Neil Cox, CQC head of inspection, says: “Our inspection found standards of care at Burnham & Berrow Medical Centre were well below those people have a right to expect due to a lack of effective leadership.”
“The systems in place at the practice were not embedded enough to make sure people were safe and safeguarded from abuse. Neither could the practice leadership team demonstrate that they had the capacity and skills to deliver high quality sustainable care.”
“It was difficult for people to access appointments and treatment, and there were delays in receiving their test results.”
“Our priority is to keep people safe, and the practice knows what it must do to improve. To help them with this, local stakeholders such as Somerset Integrated Care Board are currently in the practice providing support and leadership.”
“We will closely monitor the practice and reinspect them again in the coming months to assess whether the practice is compliant with its legal obligations, and to ensure a safe and high-quality service is being provided to all patients.”
Findings at the inspection include:
- Systems and processes to keep people safe were not effective.
- Patient treatment was not always regularly reviewed and updated.
- Patients with long-term conditions had not been proactively monitored throughout the pandemic. Due to a large backlog of correspondence there were delays in patients test results being reviewed.
- Staff did not always treat patients with kindness, respect and compassion.
- Services did not always meet patients’ needs.
- Vulnerable patients could not be easily identified.
- The practice did not have a system to learn and make improvements when things went wrong. Complaints were not managed effectively and learning from incidents was not routinely shared with all staff.
- There was poor leadership and clinical oversight at the service.
- Appropriate recruitment checks hadn’t always been carried out to ensure staff were suitable for their roles.
The full report can be found on CQC’s website.
Previously, 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 says Symphony Healthcare Services will ensure more clinicians are secured for the practice.
