A doctor's surgery that looks after nearly 8,000 Fenland patients has been told by a government watchdog it still has improvements to make.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has lifted Parson Drove from being 'inadequate' and in 'special measures' to 'requires improvement' - a move the practice described as a "significant step forward" and something it was proud of.
The report on the surgery on Main Road was written following an unannounced assessment in December last year.
A spokesperson for the CQC explained the delay in the report's publication, by nearly 12 months, was due to a "large-scale transformation programme" at the watchdog.
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The report said the surgery was rated as 'requires improvement' in all areas, including caring, being safe, responsive and well-led, because the team of inspectors, which included a specialist in medicines, did not have the assurances that the improvements made were being sustained to ensure continuity of safety.
At the previous assessment carried out in January last year, the inspectors found the surgery was unable to demonstrate that it had taken action to address the poor satisfaction that patients had reported.
The inspectors found during the December inspection that some steps had been taken to address this.
At the January 2024 assessment, the inspectors had found that patients could not always access appointments in a timely way.
The provider had listened to patient feedback, and overall, patients were now able to make an appointment on the same day, at home or work, at a time that suited them.
Patients were also able to alter appointments if needed.
However, the report said results from the National GP Patient Survey showed that patient satisfaction in relation to access was below local and national averages.
The CQC spokesperson apologised for the fact that the report was not published as soon after the inspection as it should have been.
He said: "The programme involved changes to the technology CQC uses, but resulted in problems with the systems and processes rather than the intended benefits.
"The amount of time taken to publish this report falls short of what people using services and providers should be able to expect, and CQC apologises for this."
“While publication of some reports was delayed, any immediate action that CQC needed to take to protect people using services was not affected. CQC has since taken urgent steps to ensure inspection reports are published in a much more timely manner."
A statement issued by Sabrina Khan, practice manager at Parson Drove, said: "We’re proud to have improved our CQC rating from 'inadequate' to 'requires improvement' — this is a significant step forward as we are no longer in special measures.
"Turning a practice around takes time, and we are grateful for the ongoing support of the CQC, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Integrated Care Board, our Patient Participation Group, patients, and staff as we continue to work with our partners to achieve a 'good' rating."
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