30.09.14
Up to 200 ‘dangerous’ GP surgeries could face closure – CQC
Up to 200 GP surgeries across England could face closure or being put in special measures for providing potentially ‘dangerous care’ to patients, according to Professor Steve Field, the chief inspector of GPs for the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
He said that preliminary inspections suggest that up to 200 of the 8,000 practices in England are failing, with problems including the prescription of wrong medicines, late referrals for patients suspected of suffering from cancer, the over-prescription of antibiotics, out of date and unhygienic premises, and staff shortages.
In an interview with Sky News, Prof Field said: “While there is a small number of practices which are very worrying – probably looking at only about 2% – they can affect hundreds or thousands of patients potentially. So this is very serious.
“For the small number of practices [providing unsafe care] they will either improve or they will cease to practice. We will remove their registration.”
But the Royal College of General Practice (RCGP) argues that although there is no excuse for poor care and action should be taken if practices are failing, what the CQC inspections are highlighting, however, are the growing pressures that GPs and their teams are currently facing in trying to deliver safe patient care with diminishing resources.
Dr Maureen Baker, chair of the RCGP, said: “If practices are struggling to meet quality standards due to factors beyond their control – such as lack of funding, significant increases in patient consultations and difficulties in trying to recruit sufficient GPs – we should not be ‘labelling’ them but looking at what support they need to bring them up to scratch.
“Also, if practices close, there could be a knock-on effect to neighbouring practices so any decisions about closures will need to be cognisant of that.”
Prof Field added that the 160 to 200 surgeries found to be “failing” would be given extra support from NHS England to help them improve.
Dr Chaand Nagpaul, chairman of the BMA’s GP committee, added that a lot of GPs are working in an environment that is extremely difficult and challenging, in premises that are “not fit for purpose”, and yet they cannot find another place to work in because there are no funds to relocate them.
“It would not be right to criticise or blame them for factors outside their control,” he added.
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