BY JAMES SIMONS
A medical center in Upton park, east london, has been given a damning review by a health regulator, the Care quality Commission, which conclusively stated that nearly 3,000 patients are at ”significant risk of harm”.
The Barking Road Medical Center was given the lowest possible ranking in four out of five criteria, including safety and effectiveness, in a shameful blow to their reputation. This led to the regulators suspending all medical activities in the surgery until further notice.
The surgery which was run by a Nigerian medial practitioner, Dr Samuel Ojo Ayodele Olatigbe, fell far below the professional standards required of a medical surgery- a disgrace to the academic credentials of Dr.Olatigbe.
The head of the independent regulator, Michelle Holden said patients were entitled to ”high quality care” , but did not receive it. His report stated:
“During our inspection we found enough areas of concern that our only recourse was to use our regulatory powers and suspend all actions at the surgery,” she said, adding that any action taken is subject to appeal. The embarrassing and critical report highlighted alarming failings that will make patients of any surgery extra concerned whether those running the surgery are fulfilling their obligations when it comes to safety standards.
High failings included the absence of any systems in place to keep its patients safe, and the fact that important clinical letters – some containing “abnormal” test results – had been left unopened for six months, and that incidents were “systematically unreported” and that the practice failed to always learn and improve when things went wrong.
In addition to this, Dr Olatigbe was routinely late for clinical appointments and “had been doing so for months”, often leaving his staff to bear the brunt of verbal abuse for his lateness.
Even worse, was the fact the practice had no means of recording or dealing with these episodes. According to the report, this was part of a culture that did not “foster a supportive, learning” environment, leaving staff “discouraged from raising concerns”.
Olatigbe took over the practice in October 2014, but failed to register the change until July 2015, for reasons best known to himself, but which was a breach of Section 10 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008.
A spokesperson from NHS Newham Clinical Commissioning Group said in a statement to The eye of media.com : “Unfortunately, following a Care Quality Commission visit to the Barking Road Medical Centre in December 2015, it was jointly agreed to temporarily close the practice. This decision was taken in the best interest of patient safety, to ensure the provision of quality care and least disruption possible.
“The priority for Newham CCG is to ensure continuity and quality care for local residents and while we work closely with providers to help them maintain standards and monitor performance, it is the responsibility of the provider to implement local actions.
“Barking Road Medical Center is now temporarily closed while we continue to work with the practice as they look to implement local actions to rectify the issues.
“CQC visits are in place to ensure quality standards are maintained. Where concerns are raised we will always put the safety and quality of care of patients at the forefront of any decisions taken.
“All patients from this practice are advised to contact the neighbouring surgery, Newham Medical Centre, should they need a GP appointment, where they are getting care as routine patients. The interim arrangements have meant there were no significant patient appointment cancellations and changes to any hospital referrals or emergency/urgent care.”
It is a disgrace to hardworking professionals when other professionals betray the high standard of trust and expectations invested in them. It makes one wonder how many other medical centers are like this.
