Three GP surgeries on Teesside have been rated “high risk” of providing poor patient care, according to a new health watchdog report.
The Coatham Surgery in Redcar, the Thornaby and Ingleby Barwick Medical Group and the Woodbridge Practice in Thornaby were all flagged in the “highest concern” category by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
Patients can compare GP surgeries in their area for the first time after the CQC published data suggesting around one in six may be falling below care standards.
The CQC’s “intelligent monitoring” database allows patients to see which practices were highest on the list of priority for inspections under the watchdog’s new regime.
Exactly 1,200 fell into the top two ‘priority’ bands based on evidence of patient experience, care and treatment from sources including major surveys and official statistics.
Many of these practices had possible issues with appointments, mental health plans, and cervical cancer screening.
You can view the bandings, as well as a map of surgeries, here.
Out of the 7,276 practices ranked in England, 861 were in the “highest concern” category.
They included the Coatham Surgery, Woodbridge Practice, and Thornaby and Ingleby Barwick Medical Group.
The latter serves Thornaby, Ingleby Barwick and Maltby and has a list size currently in excess of 21,400 patients.
The CQC report highlighted an ‘elevated risk’ at the practice around issues with doctors involving patients “in decisions about their care”.
Other ‘risk’ factors revolved around GPs treating patients with “care and concern”, the overall patient experience and opening hours.
At the Coatham Surgery, covering Redcar, Marske, New Marske, Saltburn and Lazenby, an ‘elevated risk’ was reported around care plans for patients with schizophrenia, bipolar disorders and other psychoses who have “a record of alcohol consumption”.
‘Risk’ areas included smoking cessation support for patients with physical and/or mental health conditions and care plans for patients with schizophrenia, bipolar disorders and other psychoses.
The Woodbridge Practice on Trenachard Avenue, Thornaby, also had an elevated risk around patient care decisions and also with patients being treated with “care and concern”.
Other risk factors included the percentage of patients 65 and older who had received a seasonal flu vaccination, and also the overall patient experience.
The three practices were contacted by The Gazette, but none were available for response.
But the CQC said the reports released online were not a judgment on practices’ quality, which would be made only once they had been inspected.
Around 3,800 were in band six, or of “lowest concern”.
The North-east had the lowest proportion of practices where the risk was judged to be high, and the highest proportion where risk was low (69%).
Professor Steve Field, chief inspector of general practice, said: “There is a lot of good and outstanding care taking place across the country as our data and recent reports show.
“While it is positive that 78% of general practices are currently a low concern based on the available data, there is no reason for complacency and standards must continue to improve.”
Katherine Murphy, chief executive of the Patients’ Association, said: “We often hear about the difficulties people have trying to get an appointment with their GP.
"We hope that CQC’s work in highlighting this major issue will act as a catalyst and there will be some positive changes.”
However, doctors union the British Medical Association has criticised the banding scheme as “simplistic” and potentially confusing.
It said the scheme does not take into account factors such as levels of deprivation in which the surgery operates.
The CQC aims to inspect all GP surgeries by March 2016, with those rated in the priority top two bands being inspected from next year.
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