A medical centre placed in special measures and threatened with closure five months ago has made 'substantial improvements', according to findings of a follow-up inspection. The Care Quality Commission issued a raft of requirement notices following a series of regulation breaches found at an inspection on April 26 at Monton Medical Centre in Eccles.
They included lapses in receiving and acting on complaints, flaws in its governance and checks on staff, and breaches covering safe care and treatment of patients. A new inspection on August 4 found many of the shortcomings highlighted had been addressed.
It found that there was now a system in place for processing information on new patients, including the summarising of new patient notes. The centre had also put in place systems for the "appropriate and safe use of medicines". Blank prescriptions are not kept securely and their use is monitored in line with national guidelines.
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Staff have now got appropriate authroisation to administer medicines and there is a process in place for monitoring patients' health in relation to the use of medicines, including some that carry a high risk. Meanwhile, the new inspection found the practice had learned and "made improvements when things went wrong".
The practice is monitoring and reviewing safety using information from a variety of sources and staff know how to identify and report concerns, safety incidents and near misses. There is also a system in place for recording and acting on "significant events", while staff also understand how to raise concerns and report incidents both internally and externally.
"There was evidence of learning and dissemination of information," the inspection team said. There was also a system for recording and acting on safety alerts and staff understood how to deal with them.
Roy Dixon, practice manager of Monton Medical Centre, said: "The [April] CQC inspection occurred shortly after two years of Covid 19 disruptions and the loss of the Practice’s management team, including the practice manager. Our dedicated team was devastated by the outcome and subsequent report following the inspection.
"Since then, we have worked, and continue to work, tirelessly to address the concerns raised. The CQC reviewed the Practice again in August and identified that substantial improvements had been made.
"We continue to strive for further improvements as providing excellent care and support to our patients is our priority."
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