Chesterfield GP practice criticised in new health watchdog league table

The Grange Family Health Centre, in Stubbing Road, was deemed to be creating an ‘elevated risk’ to patients in five of 38 monitoring categories, with ‘risk’ recorded in a further five.

Patients criticised both doctors and nurses for not involving them in key decisions about their care, or for not showing enough concern during the care process.

The practice was also slammed for the overall patient experience, while the vast majority of those surveyed said they had extreme difficulty getting though to the practice.

Concerns were also raised about patients not being able to see their preferred GP or get an appointment when they needed one.

Elsewhere Alfreton’s Parkside Surgery, in Park Street, and the Jacksdale Medical Centre were placed in Band 1 - raising the highest level of concern with the CQC.

Parkside came under fire for too few patients being able to make an appointment when they needed one, and for its care of people with schizophrenia and other mental illnesses.

Meanwhile at Jacksdale, the CQC said that treatment of patients with diabetes was presenting an ‘elevated risk’, while too few patients were happy with the practice opening hours.

Around the East Midlands, 48 practices were put in the ‘highest concern’ Band 1, with a further 28 practices placed in Band 2.

A total of 24 practices in the region were placed in Band 3, 43 in Band 4 and 82 in Band 5. A total of 345 practices were placed in Band 6 - presenting the lowest risk to patients.

The vast majority of GP practices around Chesterfield, Matlock, Ripley, Heanor and Buxton areas were placed in Band 5 and Band 6.

The Blue Dykes Surgery in Clay Cross and Staffa Health in Tibshelf were placed in Band 3.

Nationally, the health regulator said that too many patients were having to endure “chaotic” and potentially unsafe care, while others struggled to obtain an appointment to see a doctor at all.

Every practice was analysed against 38 indicators including the likelihood of being able to arrange an appointment, the proportion of elderly patients receiving the flu vaccine and support offered to the physically and mentally ill.

Prof Steve Field from the CQC said: “It is important to remember that the data is not a judgement, as it is only when we inspect we can determine if a practice provides safe, high-quality and compassionate care. The data is a further tool that will help us to decide where to inspect and when.

“I do have concerns about access to practices. But we need to do more to encourage people to take better care of themselves and to make better use of pharmacies.

“We’re also sadly finding some very poor practices. These typically are chaotic, have very poor leadership and a lack of learning culture. They also have a poor skill mix, some don’t have any nurses.”

Despite repeated calls to the Grange Family Health Centre, nobody was available for comment.