AN NHS clinic in Stanford-le-Hope has been told to improve.

The Care Quality Commission (CGC) said action was needed across a number of areas of its practice.

A report by the health watchdog on the Stanford Clinic, Wharf Road, called for action on cleanliness and infection control, the care and welfare of patients and their consent to care and treatment.

The report also highlighted a need to act on the support the clinic gives to its staff and how it assesses and monitors the quality of the service it provides.

The document, completed in January, praised the accessibility and range of information available to patients, and highlighted the ease at getting an appointment as pointed out by patients.

However, it stated the clinic didn’t have an effective system in place to reduce the risk and spread of infection, and said there was no evidence of staff receiving training on how to prevent it.

It added that no infection prevention audits had taken place since October 2006.

The CQC also discovered singleuse instruments for ear examinations were being reused, which increased the risk of infection.

The lack of a system to monitor the quality of service was also highlighted, meaning patients weren’t adequately protected some risks.

Carolyn Larsen, head of primary care for NHS England in Essex, said she understood the practice had been asked by the CQC to submit an action plan to address the concerns.

She added: “We will work with the CQC and the practice to understand the actions being taken by the practice to ensure it provides high-quality services for its patients, which they rightly expect.”