Improvement still needed at GP surgery
BBCA GP surgery has been moved out of special measures but still "requires improvement" according to the health watchdog.
Lanchester Medical Centre in County Durham was graded inadequate last year when the Care Quality Commission (CQC) found "serious leadership failings" which put people at risk.
Its rating has now been upgraded following an inspection in April, but the accompanying report said there were continued breaches over complaints handling and wider management.
Lanchester Medical Centre said it was strengthening its processes for managing patient safety incidents and complaints.
The North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB) said it recognised there was "still more to do" and would keep supporting the practice, but did not specify what changes would be made.
The centre provides services to about 4,100 people and is the only GP provider in the village.
It is run by Dr Harpreet Singh Kalra who had been prevented from carrying out services there when the CQC imposed "urgent conditions".
The latest inspection took place from 21 to 23 April, a few weeks after Dr Kalra had taken back sole control, with assessors finding the practice no longer in breach of regulation regarding safe care and treatment.
The CQC report said care for people with long-term conditions had improved and staffing levels were higher.
But the watchdog said the complaints system was still ineffective and the service did not always listen to concerns about safety or fully investigate and learn from incidents.
Inspectors said although people were mostly treated with kindness and compassion, the "ineffective" complaints process had led to "patient distrust and a feeling that their views were not valued".
The watchdog also found staff wellbeing was not adequately supported and the workplace culture remained "stressful", while "staff morale was low and there was a lack of psychological safety".
The report said some staff had reported "blame culture within the practice, with lingering concerns about bullying behaviour".
However, the CQC said the handling of test results had improved.
In a statement, Lanchester Medical Centre said: "We have an improvement plan in place and will continue working closely with the CQC, NHS partners and our staff to make the further improvements our patients and community expect and deserve."
