A GP surgery providing care for thousands of patients has been ordered to improve after inspectors raised concerns over high staff turnover and poor risk management system.
The Hollies Surgery, in Rectory Road, Hadleigh, was previously rated "good" by the Care Quality Commission however an inspection earlier this year saw that rating drop to "requires improvement".
In a report, published this week, inspectors stated that improvements were needed urgently to ensure the surgery provides "safe, effective and well-led care".
The report stated: “Risks were not routinely reviewed or discussed to ensure practice wide learning and improvement.
“The process in place for the management of medicines and monitoring of patients prescribed high risk medicines required improving.
“There was a lack of effective oversight of staff training. Safeguarding systems required strengthening.
“The leadership team were aware of the challenges the practice faced during the absence of senior leaders.
“They were assured that patient safety was not at risk, but accepted improvements needed to be made in the risk management processes.”
Inspectors also raised concerns about the impact high staff turnover and the succession of "several different practice managers" was having on the surgery.
Despite the improvements required, inspectors found that the staff were caring, and people’s experience of the service was positive.
The report added: “We were informed there was a high staff turnover and combined with the succession of several different practice managers there was staff uncertainty.
“Leaders were aware of challenges to ensure consistent staffing arrangements were in place and the effect this had on the performance of the practice.
“We found that the system of workflow management lacked effective oversight, and the management of test results required strengthening.
“On the day of the assessment visit to the practice, there were 2569 tasks in the workflow with the earliest task dating back to the year 2021. There were 92 pathology results that had not been filed."
A spokesman for The Hollies Surgery said: “In February 2024, The Hollies Surgery underwent a Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection and received a rating of ‘needs improvement’.
“This inspection was conducted at a time when the practice was in leadership transition. We want to assure our patients and the community that we have since established a stable management structure.
“At the time of the inspection, we had just recruited a new practice manager, which contributed to the perception of instability. We are pleased to report that we have addressed the concerns raised during the inspection and are fully dedicated to enhancing our services.
“Despite the leadership challenges, our commitment to delivering high-quality care remained steadfast. The CQC noted this commitment when they spoke with patients during the inspection. We are proud to share that despite the overall rating, our care for patients was specifically rated as "Good" by the CQC.
“Our primary goal is to ensure excellent care for all our patients, and we are focused on maintaining and improving the quality of our services moving forward. We appreciate the ongoing support of our community and look forward to continuing to serve you with dedication and excellence.”
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