AN ASCOT surgery has been found to be inadequate by the national health watchdog for failing to ensure patients were kept safe.

The inspection carried out at Radnor House Surgery - which merged with Ascot Medical Centre in April of last year - found staff were not clear about reporting incidents, near misses and concerns, there was no evidence of learning and communication with staff and patients were at risk of harm because systems and processes were not in place to keep them safe.

Radnor House Surgery and Ascot Medical Centre offer primary medical services to approximately 5,150 patients in the Ascot area.

Though there were plans for the merged practices to move into a purpose-built medical centre in October 2015 the move was delayed after a single GP was left responsible for over 5,000 patients.

The practices are now in negotiation with a local hospital trust to find a permanent bases. 

Ascot Medical Centre is based at Heatherwood Hospital while Radnor House Surgery in London Road.

Inspectors from the Care Quality Commission stated staff at Radnor House felt that they were not communicated with and felt vulnerable as they were often unsupported by leaders of the practice.

Appropriate recruitment checks on staff had not been done before they were hired, as well as there being gaps in their training. 

Patients also said they also found it difficult to make an appointment to suit them, although urgent appointments were usually available on the day they were requested.

Experts also found the practice had no clear leadership structure and though the majority of patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect, not all felt cared for, supported and listened to.

The practice was found to not have a clear vision or strategy and staff were not clear about their responsibilities in relation to the merger of the two practices.

There was a documented leadership structure however some staff felt unsupported by management at times and they weren't always sure who to approach with issues.

There were inconsistent systems and processes for monitoring and managing risks with some unidentified or recognised and there was little evidence of completed induction check lists for many new members of staff and not all staff had received regular performance reviews or attended staff meetings and events.

However, the practice sought feedback from patients and had an active patient participation group and both practices had adequate supplies of equipment and facilities required to treat patients and meet their needs.

The CQC was unaware that Dr Edward Williams had become a GP partner with sole provider Dr John Rawlinson, in charge of Radnor House Surgery and Ascot Medical Surgery, meaning the pair were required to submit an application to register as a partnership.

On the day of inspection, they provided evidence that they had applied for their DBS checks and had taken steps to register their partnership.
The practice has now been put into special measures, with a reinspection to take place in six months. 

A statement on the surgeries' website reads: "We can confirm that the Care Quality Commission has placed Radnor House Surgery and Ascot Medical Centre in special measures.

"We know that this will be concerning for our patients and wish to reassure you that we are working to address issues highlighted but welcome the recognition by CQC of our effort to drive improvements in patient outcomes and our active relationship with our patient participation group.

"We have already put an action plan in place to address the findings of the CQC inspection and have been working closely with our patient participation Group (PPG) who have been very supportive through this process.

"We recognise that some systems and processes at the surgery are in need of review and we have already begun to carry these out. We will continue to improve systems and processes at the practice to the highest levels and offer additional training for staff.

"We are confident this will be completed before our next CQC visit in 2016. As part of our action plan, all clinical services will be based at the Ascot Medical Centre site from the week starting 3rd May 2016.

"As you our patients may be aware we have been planning this move for some time. This will progress the merging of the two practices which began last year and addresses one of the areas CQC raised as a concern. We are pleased that the CQC have recognised that our patients are treated with compassion, dignity and respect and are involved via our active patient participation group.

"We will continue to involve you, our patients, in decisions about your care and treatment and as we work to improve our GP practice and reach high standards of care across all measures.

"We appreciate the support we continue to receive from our patients during this time."