Chilvers McCrea surgery firm admits mistakes

Rory McCrea, the head of Chilvers McCrea Healthcare, the firm which runs Green Elms surgery, in Crossways, Jaywick, agreed things had gone badly wrong at the practice.

He told patients at a public meeting the company had since worked to “radically alter the situation”.

Dr McCrea said: “I believe certain systems, designed to highlight problems, did not work and I want to apologise for that.

“I had very senior people go into the practice on a regular basis. They did not pick up the issues and they no longer work for the company. There is nothing like hindsight to educate you.”

He agreed a lack of permanent doctors and poor admin had caused problems. And he insisted the company was already dealing with the problems.

Chilvers McCrea has recruited four permanent GPs and is talking to two further doctors about filling a fifth, permanent position.

It is also looking at setting up a regular “bank” of trusted doctors to cover staff absences, rather than using agency locums.

A new computer and administrative system had also been brought in, he said.

Anne Care, practice project manager, told patients: “You need to bear with us a little while longer until you see the positive outcomes of what we are doing.”

However, patients at the meeting were sceptical.

One said: “As you say, there have been problems for a long time. Why is it only now that you are trying to resolve it?”

Another asked why the surgery had lost so many good doctors in the past two years.

Mr McCrea offered to meet anyone with concerns or problems with the surgery.

Penny Lansdown, the head of primary care commissioning for North East Essex NHS, said the trust still had confidence in Chilvers McCrea, but promised it would come in and run the practice again if things did not improve.

Chilvers McCrea won the contract to run the surgery, and a branch surgery in Nayland Drive, Clacton, for two years, from July last year.

The practice has about 7,000 patients on its books.