GP surgery rated 'good' after takeover

Patients in part of Somerset are now getting a 'good' level of care from their local GP surgery, a year after it was rated 'inadequate'.

Burnham and Berrow Medical Centre was put into special measures by the Care Quality Commission in November 2022.

It was taken over by Symphony Healthcare Services which runs another 15 surgeries in the county.

The practice has now been rated as 'good' in all areas by inspectors following a visit that took place in September.

The surgery, which serves around 15,300 patients, was taken over by new management following patient safety concerns.

Business practice manager for Burnham and Berrow Medical Centre, Jon Adams, said: “Over the last year, we have introduced new systems to enable patients to contact the practice more easily, we’ve recruited additional clinicians, including two new GPs and additional nurse practitioners [and] relaunched our Patient Participation Group."

After the initial inadequate inspection, some patients were called in for extra check-ups or blood tests and a helpline was set up for any patients who were worried.

The surgery said it has also now improved support for people with long-term health conditions, one of the core areas of improvement identified previously by inspectors.