CQC takes action to protect people at Kingston-upon-Thames GP

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has dropped the rating for The Groves Medical Centre from good to inadequate following an inspection in October and November.

The Groves Medical Centre employs 15 GPs and provides coverage to approximately 17,600 people in the local community.

As well as the centre's overall rating now dropping from good to inadequate, its ratings for safe and well-led have also dropped from good to inadequate. Its ratings for effective and responsive have dropped from good to requires improvement. Caring wasn't assessed at this inspection, so retains its previous rating of good.

To support its improvement and to ensure people's safety, CQC has placed the centre in special measures. This means it will be kept under review by CQC and re-inspected to check on the progress of improvements. CQC has also issued two warning notices in relation to people's safety and the management of the practice, requiring the provider to make urgent improvements.

Inspectors found numerous gaps in systems meant to keep people safe, such as staff training and medicines management, and saw leaders at the practice lacked the oversight needed to respond effectively. While leaders were attempting innovative improvements in some areas, they weren't always risk-assessing these fully or monitoring their outcomes closely.