Bell Tower Community Association

Local surgery in special measures

Priory Avenue Surgery in Caversham has been placed into special measures after being deemed inadequate by healthcare watchdogs. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) criticised Priory Avenue Surgery staff for being unable to provide knowledgeable and effective care. Circuit Lane Surgery in Southcote was placed into special measures at the same time.

Ruth Rankine, deputy chief inspector of General Practice, told the Reading Chronicle: “Patients were at significant risk…we will return in due course and if satisfactory improvements have not taken place we will not hesitate to use further enforcement measures.”

Staff displayed a lack of knowledge and experience at Priory Avenue, while CQC inspectors identified a significant backlog in patient correspondence.

Both affected surgeries are run by OneMedicalGroup, whose chief executive Rachel Beverley-Stevenson said: “The team have been working hard to make positive steps to improve the service and there has been a notable improvement in patient satisfaction and those who would recommend the surgeries to friends and family.”

CQC inspectors found a number of areas where both practices were failing, including patient interaction, staffing levels and learning from complaints to ensure improvements were made.

 

One comment

  • PPW

    What again? Not surprising really. I am registered there and although my Doc (Ford, a locum alas) is excellent the whole set up is otherwise a complete shambles.

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