Northampton GP surgery rated ‘requires improvement’ by care watchdog due to breach of safe treatment regulation

A Northampton GP surgery has been rated ‘requires improvement’ by the care watchdog, after inspectors found short fallings.

Dr T Crawford & Partners, also known as Greenview Surgery, in Hazeldene Road, Kingsthorpe, was inspected by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) on September 29, last year.

In a report published this week, the surgery was rated ‘good’ in the safe and well-led categories, but ‘requires improvement’ in the effective, caring and responsive to people’s needs categories, which ultimately led to an overall rating of ‘requires improvement’.

The surgery was previously inspected in 2016, when it was rated ‘good’ in all areas.

In the latest report, inspectors said the surgery is in breach of one regulation, in regards to safe care and treatment. Specifically, inspectors said they reviewed asthma patients and some “had not received an adequate consultation”. Similarly, they also found that a number of patients may have also had missed diabetes diagnoses. Inspects also added that “patients did not always receive appropriate long-term condition reviews”.

To improve this bosses must “ensure care and treatment is provided in a safe way to patients”.

The report states: “Patients’ needs were not always assessed fully and current guidance was not always followed.

“Patients did not always receive appropriate long-term condition reviews.”

Inspectors also highlighted that the uptake for immunisations for children aged five was below the minimum target set by the World Health Organisation and the uptake for cervical screening was below the 80 percent target set by the UK Health Security Agency. Inspectors said the surgery should continue to improve the uptake of both of these, as well as continue to take actions to improve patient satisfaction.

On the other hand, the report also said that staff dealt with patients with “kindness and respect”.

Inspectors added: “The practice had taken actions to improve the way patients could access care and treatment in a timely way.

“The way the practice was led and managed promoted the delivery of high-quality, person-centred care.

“Staff reported they felt supported by the GPs and practice management.”

Greenview Surgery was contacted for comment about the latest CQC rating, however did not respond to the request.

A spokesperson for NHS Northamptonshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) said: “As the commissioner of GP services, our priority is ensuring patients can access safe and high quality services that meet the high standards they rightly expect. A recent CQC review, which was rightly thorough, has highlighted a number of areas where Greenview Surgery needs to improve, although it recognises there are areas the practice is delivering well on.

“We understand patients reading the report may be concerned and we would like to reassure them we will be working with the practice to ensure the required improvements are made as quickly as possible.”

Read the full report on the CQC website here.