A DOCTOR’S surgery has been branded inadequate by health inspectors.

When the Care Quality Commission visited the Gurjar Practice, Wharf Road, Stanford-le-Hope it found medicines were mismanaged, putting patients at risk.

The surgery, with more than 2,800 patients on its books, was also found to be ill-equipped in the event of an emergency – no medical oxygen was on site for example.

Scoring inadequate for safety and leadership, and requires improvement for care, responsiveness and effectiveness, the surgery has been ordered to improve across five key areas.

A health inspector said: “Medicines necessary for managing medical emergencies had not been risk assessed and there was no oxygen at the practice in the event of a medical emergency.

“The practice were not recording the issue of prescription stationery or monitoring the

use.

“Systems, processes and practices for the management of medicines requiring monitoring were not always reliable enough to keep people safe.”

The inspector, who carried out an announced visit in May, also found safeguarding measures for vulnerable adults were no up to date.

Of the five key areas the surgery must improved, the inspector also ordered an improvement in complaints handling.

He explained: “Although there was a system in place to ensure that complaints were investigated without delay, the investigations of the complaints were not always

comprehensive and did not address the full extent of the complaint.”

Inspectors praised staff for the care they showed towards patients.

He continued: “We observed members of staff were courteous and very helpful to patients and treated them with dignity and respect.

“Six of the seven patient Care Quality Commission comment cards we received were positive about the service experienced.

“Patients said they felt the practice offered a good service.”

A spokesman for the practice described the report as a “blow.”

He said: “We should have had the oxygen but we have got the oxygen now.

“We really do hope to turn this around.

“We’ve got nothing to hide, we are proud of the surgery and this has been a learning process and a surprise to us.

“It has been a blow but I feel that we can recover quickly.”