GP surgery placed in special measures

The CQC said The Limes Medical Centre had failed to tell some patients about a diabetes diagnosis

A GP practice that failed to tell patients they had been diagnosed with diabetes has been placed in special measures, a regulator has said.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) said on Wednesday that it had taken action over The Limes Medical Centre, in Stourbridge, after an inspection in June.

Andy Brand, the CQC’s deputy director of operations in the Midlands, said the inspection found several issues, including 24 patients who had not been told about a new diabetes diagnosis.

The Limes Medical Centre said it had taken “immediate action” since the June inspection and had already seen “significant improvement”.

The CQC's latest inspection downgraded the surgery from a “requires improvement” rating in 2022 to "inadequate".

Lack of monitoring

The inspection report said that patients who were on medication for long-term health conditions were not always properly monitored, with some overdue for blood tests and reviews.

The report added that there were concerns over the surgery's premises during a site visit, which found that running water was not at required temperatures and fire extinguishers were not maintained.

The CQC, which is responsible for inspecting NHS hospitals, GP surgeries and care homes in England, reassesses services in special measures within six months.

If it feels that a service has not improved enough, it can take measures that include cancelling its registration.

“We have taken immediate action to address the concerns raised following the inspection in June,” Dr Mitch Price and Dr Mubashir Ahmad, GP partners at Limes Medical Centre, said in a joint statement.

“We have already seen significant improvement in several areas and these improvements have been reflected in recent feedback from CQC. If any of our patients have any concerns, they should contact the practice where we will be happy to discuss these.”