A MEDICAL practice which could close before the end of the year has maintained its ‘good’ rating with the care watchdog.

Adelaide Medical Centre, in Adelaide Road, was visited by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) for a comprehensive inspection in February.

Inspectors rated the service ‘good’ overall, maintaining the rating it received in July 2016, however the ‘well-led’ category of the service was said to require improvement.

This was because ‘it had not considered and mitigated the risks surrounding some of its systems and processes’ which put the practice in breach of a ‘good governance’ regulation.

As previously reported in the Advertiser, the medical centre is due to hand its contract back to the local Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) in October, citing increasing workload and difficulties recruiting GPs as a result of national shortages.

This was acknowledged in the latest CQC report, and although the practice and CCG are working to find new ways to keep the practice open, at the time of inspection it was still due to cease its contract as intended.

The report also praised the practice in a number of ways. Patients were said to have received “effective care and treatment that met their needs” while “staff dealt with patients with kindness and respect and involved them in decisions about their care”.

Feedback from patients about the service was also positive, with no negative comments received from more than 60 CQC comment cards received by inspectors.

The service was also found to have taken effective action to promote the safety of patients, staff and visitors in light of the coronavirus outbreak.

However, the report added: “The way the practice was led and managed promoted the delivery of high-quality, person-centre care but it had not considered and mitigated the risks surrounding some of its systems and processes. For example, there was no formal process relating to the monitoring of blank prescription stationery, or any associated risk assessments relating to Disclosure and Barring Service checks for non-clinical staff.”

Other areas pinpointed for potential improvements include the uptake of cervical screenings, which has been improved but remains below the national standard.

The practice was also advised to renew guidance on when to notify the CQC about changes regarding the practice, as partners had come and gone with the watchdog being notified, and to review how the practice is assured that all staff are in line with its training requirements.

Inspectors had found that some GPs were using different training providers compared to the rest of the practice, but the practice has since proved that the training of GPs is in line with expectations.