Expired medicines at 'unsafe' Penzance GP surgery

The Morrab surgery was outstanding in 2015 but has now been placed in special measures

A GP surgery was keeping emergency medicines and vaccinations that were out of date, a report has found.

The Care Quality Commission has put Morrab surgery in Penzance, Cornwall, into special measures after an inspection in May.

It was rated inadequate, having been outstanding at its 2015 inspection.

The surgery said the issues identified had been rectified since the inspection.

In October 2018 a nurse based at the surgery was convicted of forging prescriptions in order to obtain large amounts of drugs.

It was following the police investigation of Katie Corrigan the CQC carried out the inspection.

Corrigan was given a 10-month sentence, suspended for two years and was later struck off by the Nursing and Midwifery Council.

'Appropriate standards'

Inspectors found the practice "did not have clear systems and processes to keep patients safe" and that "appropriate standards of cleanliness and hygiene were not met".

The report also found that staff had not completed training in safeguarding adults, safeguarding children, infection prevention and control and fire safety.

In addition there was no risk assessment completed regarding the decision not to have a defibrillator available at a branch of the surgery in Pendeen.

Morrab surgery serves more than 10,000 people, and in 2017 merged with Pendeen surgery.

Dr Neil Armstrong, senior partner at Morrab surgery, said: "The CQC report focuses on issues which do not impact on direct patient care - we have already addressed and rectified these since the inspection."

He added that since 2015 "we have had to absorb 5,000 new patients at short notice, which has involved huge organisational change. No account was taken of these pressures."