'Inadequate' Gainsborough GP surgery put into special measures

The Caskgate Street Surgery in Gainsborough serves around 12,000 patients

A GP surgery in Lincolnshire has been put into special measures after being rated as "inadequate" by inspectors.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) found Caskgate Street Surgery, in Gainsborough, was failing in a number of areas, including patient safety.

The CQC found it "did not provide care in a way that kept patients safe and protected them from avoidable harm".

The surgery said it was working hard to address the findings and "significant improvements" had already been made.

The CQC said the "inadequate" rating followed an inspection in May.

Among their other findings, inspectors said patients using the practice had been put at risk as safety alerts were not being received and acted upon.

Staff also did not have the information they needed to deliver safe care and treatment, inspectors said.

While patients could access care and treatment in a timely way, their needs were not assessed, and care and treatment was not delivered in line with current legislation, the CQC report added.

It also found that some patients with long-term health issues had not had their medication reviewed in the past 18 months, and the practice was not able to demonstrate that all staff had completed safeguarding training, or were trained to the required level.

'Working hard'

However, the report added that staff at the practice dealt with patients with kindness and respect and involved them in decisions about their care.

The practice, which had previously been rated by the CQC as "good", was rated "inadequate" following the May inspection for safety and being well-led, and as "requiring improvement" for being effective.

Meanwhile, care and responsiveness at the surgery were rated as "good".

Dr Sean O'Kelly, the CQC's chief inspector of hospitals, said a second inspection would be conducted within six months.

"If there is not enough improvement, we will move to close the service by adopting our proposal to remove this location or cancel the provider's registration," he added.

A spokesperson for the practice said they were disappointed with the "inadequate" rating in two out of the five areas assessed.

In a statement, they added that since the inspection, the Integrated Care Board had been working closely with the practice and "significant improvements have already been put in place to address the CQC's findings".

"We remain committed to providing patient-focused care for everyone. We are working hard to address the CQC's findings and to ensure we provide high quality care for our patients, with the support of our staff and NHS Lincolnshire Integrated Care Board," they added.