By Charlotte Wbstare-
All doctors and general practitioners in any developed country are expected to uphold the highest standards of practice.
Their assumed expertise in an important profession that caters for all, make those expectations automatic. However, a GP surgery in East London has been slammed for its poor standards. It was lacking in management and appropriate safety measures
Custom House Medical, Teaching and Training Practice in Freemasons Road was slapped with the lowest rating for being safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). The practice is currently in special measures after a report published on Friday found ”a range of clinical and patient satisfaction rankings “below local and national averages”.
Michele Golden, the health watchdog’s acting deputy chief inspector of general practice said :“There must now be substantial improvements at this practice,” “The service will be kept under and could be escalated to urgent enforcement action.”
Custom House will be closed if no improvements are found during a follow-up inspection within the next six months.
Manager, Mohammed Al-Mahfuz said in a statement :“The practice is very disappointed to receive this rating from our regulator,” said manager Mohammed Al-Mahfuz.
“We are fully committed to making the required improvements and are working hard with all the parties involved, and will continue to do so to ensure that our patients receive the level and quality of care that they deserve.”
According to the report, based on a visit in January, the safety of patients “was not always” well managed and assessed properly, including in regards to equipment, fire safety and infection control.
Inspectors had previously highlighted gaps in staff training and recruitment checks like reference checks for clinical teams.
The report also condemns the inadequate state of the surgery, stating that it did not have “effective governance systems” to ensure it was run well, The surgery was practically deemed to be unfit for use, with requirements for effective management not being met on a regular basis. The surgery will be allowed back into practice if it makes radical adjustments to its structure and operations , and also ensure the safety of all patients under their care.