A Royton GP surgery has been told it has improved after the health watchdog found the practice in breach of legal standards.

Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspectors had heavily criticised leadership at the Royton Medical Centre, located on Chapel Street, in a scathing report published in November 2022.

A new inspection took place at the practice on Friday, January 6 to check progress after a warning notice was issued to the practice.

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CQC inspectors had stated that five medicine reviews had been completed without patients' involvement, three of which had been coded without all the repeat medicines being reviewed – amounting to a breach of Regulation 12(1) of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and Regulations 2014.

Leadership at the practice was told it was ‘inadequate’ in the report, with leaders told they were unable to demonstrate they had the capacity to deliver high-quality care.

The inspector witnessed a handful of examples where policies were not being followed, such as now following the correct procedure for obtaining DBS background checks, but also in areas such as managing events and complaints.

Improvements made in all areas

However, on January 6, inspectors said improvements had been made in all the areas covered in the warning notice.

Specifically, in the update report, inspector Dr Sean O’Kelly found:

  • The system for authorising healthcare professionals to administer medicines was effective.
  • Policies had been reviewed, updated, and were being followed.
  • The system for checking the stock levels of emergency medicines was effective.
  • The system for ensuring healthcare professionals had the appropriate equipment was effective.
  • The system for managing safety alerts was effective
  • The system for managing complaints and significant events was effective.
  • Information contained on the practice website was accurate.
  • Staff were aware of who their Freedom to Speak Up Guardian was.

The practice did not receive a new rating at this inspection, so remains at ‘requires improvement’ overall.

However, inspectors said a full inspection, with a new rating issued, will take place within six months of the original report being published.

This means another new inspection will take place before May 2.

A Royton Medical Centre spokesperson said: “CQC reports are not merely a guide for the public but also a constructive way for practices to look at their performance and improve. 

“That is exactly what we have done, here. 

“The compassion of our staff was highlighted in the original report, and their desire to enhance performance for their patients has been admirable. 

“We thank both the inspectors and patients, for their feedback. 

“We can assure them that our quest to continually improve and protect and heal our community does not end here. Our patients come first and on their behalf we will never stop listening or learning.”