A HEALTH centre has been placed in special measures after concerns were raised by patients and staff at the practice.

Tollgate Practice in Stanway has subsequently received an inadequate rating in care, and deemed inadequate in two of the five key areas.

The other areas were rated as requiring improvement.

Inspectors from the Care Quality Commission visited the centre after fears were raised during visits.

These were primarily about patients and staff working at the practice.

Within the report by the Chief Inspector of Primary Medical Services and Integrated Care Dr Rosie Benneyworth and inspectors said there was no process in place to carry out health and safety risk assessments at the premises.

They also said the data for the management of patients with asthma, and those suffering from poor mental health, was significantly below the local and national average.

Tollgate Health Centre provides GP services to approximately 8,200 patients.

In January, the provider took on a new partner and is currently in the process of re-registering the practice as a partnership.

Read more:

Inspectors rated the care of all population groups as inadequate including older people, people with long-term conditions, families, children and young people.

Among other issues flagged within the report, inspectors also found there to be no system in place to act on patient feedback.

There is also no practice to follow up patients presenting symptoms which could indicate serious illness in a timely and appropriate way.

At the last inspection in 2019 the centre was rated good overall - in all key areas.

The service is now placed under special measures and will be inspected again within six months.

If insufficient improvements have not been made the watchdog may take action to prevent the service from operating.

Annette Bloomfield, Practice Manager at the Practice said: “We are obviously disappointed to be placed in special measures by the CQC.

“However, it is important to point out that much of the CQC’s findings were based on responses received from the practice’s last patient survey in July 2020.

“Since then a number of improvements have been made and every single member of the practice team has been working hard to put things right for our patients.

“A new full-time practice management team was put in place in January and a second GP partner has recently been recruited.

“We are now offering more early morning, evening and weekend appointments, and the surgery opens every Saturday for patient appointments.

“A new patient survey is under way and we are confident that the responses it receives will reflect the improvements we have already made.

“We know we still have much to do but everyone at Tollgate is working their socks off to turn things around and will continue to do so.”