GP Surgery Rated Inadequate, Placed in Special Measures

Castlegate and Derwent Surgery has been downgraded to an "inadequate" rating and placed under special measures by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) due to a continued decline in standards. An inspection conducted in February revealed breaches in regulations concerning safe patient care, service management, safeguarding procedures, and complaint handling.

Inspectors noted that previously identified issues remained unresolved since the practice was last rated as "requiring improvement." The report highlighted a lack of a learning culture and instances where staff did not always treat patients with kindness, compassion, or protect their privacy and dignity. Furthermore, over a thousand appointment reminders were found in the surgery's system, with no timely action taken to clear the backlog.

During the inspection period, staff concerns about patient triage were reportedly ignored by GP partners, creating potential risks. The CQC has initiated special measures to closely monitor the surgery and ensure patient safety while improvements are implemented within a structured timeframe. The surgery has apologized to patients, attributing the inspection's findings to an "exceptionally challenging time" marked by high winter demand and staff shortages. They state that since the inspection, efforts have been made to increase appointment availability and recruit additional staff.