A GP surgery in Blackburn has been placed in ‘special measures’ after a health watchdog raised a string of concerns following an inspection.

Staff at the Family Practice, in the Barbara Castle health centre, were rated ‘inadequate’ by the Care Quality Commission amid criticisms over administering vaccines and proper recruitment checks.

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CQC inspectors were also alarmed that it appeared to be difficult to determine how effective their treatments were as there was little or no evidence of patient audits or improvement plans.

Those using the surgery were said to be broadly positive regarding their dealings with staff and believed that they were treated with ‘compassion and dignity’.

But the watchdog also blasted the ‘insufficient leadership and inadequate governance arrangements’, as they listed no fewer than nine areas where improvements must be made

Another two key recommendations urge practice management to considering lowering the threshold at which they conduct their own internal enquiries into problems and introducing a systematic approach to safety alerts so lessons can be learned.

The inspection report states: “Staff were aware of how to report incidents and concerns. We saw that incidents were investigated and learning disseminated. However near misses were not documented so learning was not always maximised.”

In a letter to the practice, Prof Steve Field, Chief Inspector of General Practice, said: “I am placing this service in special measures. Services placed in special measures will be inspected again within six months.

“If insufficient improvements have been made, such that there remains a rating of inadequate for any population group, key question or overall, we will action take action in line with our enforcement procedures.”

This could range from altering the conditions of their registration, to provide GP services, to cancelling their contract outright, according to Prof Field.

The next six months will see the practice remain under review and if any significant issues arise then the CQC can consider a formal intervention, in consultation with the local clinical commissioners.

Dr Issak Bhojani, who has run the practice on a single-handed basis since June 2015, and also has health centres in Blackpool and Fleetwood, was unavailable for comment last night.