CQC takes action to protect people at Blackpool GP practice

A group of three Blackpool GP surgeries has been put into special measures after a CQC inspection judged care to be inadequate.

Inspectors highlighted safety concerns, staffing issues and delayed test results at Adelaide Surgery, which has sites on Elizabeth Street, Gorton Street and Kentmere Drive.

Linda Hirst, CQC deputy director of operations in the north-west, said: “When we inspected Adelaide Surgery, we were disappointed to find a practice that wasn’t providing safe GP services to people. Our experience tells us that when a service isn’t well-led they are less likely to be able to provide good care which is what we found here.

“Leaders didn’t ensure there was an effective system to triage people to prioritise needs when allocating appointments which could place people at risk of harm if they had a serious issue or condition.

“Urgent referrals were usually actioned on the day they were requested, but there had been a recent backlog due to a whole staff group being absent from work at the same time. For example, some important pathology results hadn’t been actioned for over a month which could delay people’s diagnosis and treatment.

“It was positive, however, that staff understood the diverse needs of people in the local community. For example, they worked closely with asylum seekers and people living in care homes to ensure harder to reach people could access services and receive support when needed.

“We have told leaders where we expect to see rapid improvements and we will continue to monitor the service closely to keep people safe during this time.”

The practice says it’s strengthening clinical systems and is determined to rebuild confidence and deliver safe, effective care.