Pulham Market GP surgery in special measures after inspection

A GP surgery has been put into special measures after inspectors found a range of issues putting patients at risk.

Church Hill Surgery in Pulham Market, Norfolk, was rated inadequate following an inspection by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in July.

Chief Inspector Dr Rosie Benneyworth said special measures would give patients "reassurance that the care they get should improve".

The surgery said it was "disappointed" to get the rating.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service said inspectors found dozens of issues at the South Norfolk surgery, which provides services for around 4,500 patients.

These included failing to adequately assess patients' needs, not delivering care in line with current legislation or standards guidelines, not ensuring medicines were prescribed safely and failing to monitor patients on high-risk medicines.

A previous inspection in May 2017 had rated the surgery good across the board.

Dr Benneyworth said: "The service will be kept under review and if needed could be escalated to urgent enforcement action."

She said, if necessary, another inspection would take place 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."

A spokesperson for Church Hill Surgery said: "Obviously we are disappointed to have been given an inadequate rating.

"We are working closely with the CQC and NHS Norfolk and Waveney Clinical Commissioning Group to make the required improvements as soon as possible."

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