Harlow medical centre rated 'inadequate' by CQC inspectors

Church Langley Medical Centre has been downgraded from a "good" rating to "inadequate"

A medical centre has been put into special measures after inspectors raised multiple health and safety concerns.

Church Langley Medical Centre, in Harlow, Essex, had its "good" rating dropped to "inadequate", a report published revealed.

Out-of-date oxygen and inappropriately stored vaccines "could have put people in danger", the Care Quality Commission (CQC) said.

The centre was contacted for comment.

The NHS practice catered for 11,600 patients and had four GPs when the watchdog visited in November, the report said.

Hazel Roberts, from the CQC, said she was concerned to find the practice's leaders had "poor oversight" of issues affecting people's safety.

She said staff were not always acting promptly to improve the service.

'Danger'

"For example, while most staff were hard-working and focused on people's needs, leaders hadn't always ensured staff had all the skills and knowledge they needed to keep people safe," Ms Roberts said.

"We found an oxygen cylinder which staff hadn't realised expired in October 2022, despite making daily checks of medical emergency equipment. This could have put people in danger during an emergency."

The report revealed that data from the GP patient survey had showed patients' experiences had worsened over the past two years but leaders had not always used feedback to make improvements.

"We've told the service where improvements are needed and will be monitoring the practice closely to ensure these are carried out urgently," Ms Roberts added.

A service being put in special measures means its performance is kept under review and issues can be escalated to urgent enforcement action.

It allows the watchdog to conduct another inspection within six months and - if there is not enough improvement - the service could be closed down.