Oldham doctor's practice rated inadequate

The Care Quality Commission rated the Oldham Family Practice as inadequate

An Oldham doctor’s practice has been placed in special measures by Care Quality Commission inspectors following failure to properly care for children, elderly and vulnerable patients.

Dr Ahmed Choudhury’s surgery, also known as Oldham Family Practice, was deemed inadequate by the CQC after a recent inspection.

In an in-depth report published recently, inspectors listed a series of failings, including keeping out-of-date syringes at the surgery.

It was also ruled that staff did not always have the information they needed to deliver safe care and treatment to patients.

The wishes of some terminally ill patients were also not followed up to ensure plans had been officially put in place, while few examples were evident of practice specific comprehensive risk assessments in relation to safety issues.

Inspectors said they also found 24 out-of-date syringes - one which had expired in October 2015.

The CQC report also stated that staff understood patients’ personal, cultural, social and religious needs and treated them with ‘kindness, dignity and respect’.

Patients commented that appointments were usually available and they could access care when they needed it, but Professor Steve Field, chief inspector of general practice at the CQC, branded the service, based in a health centre on New Radcliffe Street in Oldham town centre, as inadequate overall and placed it in special measures. It followed the latest inspection in December.

Another inspection will take place in the next six months and if improvements haven’t been made it could be closed down.