Luton GP surgery rated '˜Inadequate' by watchdog and placed in Special Measures

A GP surgery in Luton catering for over 7,000 patients has been rated '˜Inadequate' by the health watchdog for the second time this year.
Lister House surgeryLister House surgery
Lister House surgery

Following an inspection from the Care Quality Commission (CQC), Lister House Surgery on Dunstable Road has received the lowest rating and is now placed in Special Measures.

Chief Inspector of General Practice, Professor Steve Field noted that some improvements had been made at the surgery following another inspection in June.

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But, he wrote: “There [are] still concerns with the leadership and governance of the practice. The breakdown in the professional relationship between the individual GP partners had not been resolved.

“Fire safety and Legionella risk assessments had been completed, however identified actions had not been taken.

“There were no risk assessments in place for the control of substances hazardous to health (COSHH).

“There had been no infection prevention and control (IPC) audits completed, so areas that required attention had not been identified.”

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The inspector praised the appointment of a new practice manager following the previous inspection, with improved support offered to staff and and a new action plan to implement changes.

But in order to improve its CQC rating, Lister House Surgery has been told it must ensure care and treatment is provided in a safe way to patients.

It has also been instructed to set up effective systems to ensure good governance in keeping with NHS standards. Many policies and procedures were found to be unspecific and in need of a review.

A Lister House spokesman said: “The surgery is responding to the concerns raised by the CQC and has implemented an improvement plan.

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“Luton Clinical Commissioning Group is working closely with the surgery to support it through as it seeks to address performance concerns.

“In the meantime, patients will continue to be seen and cared for by the staff at the surgery.”