GP surgery criticised over safety failings

Nation.Cymru staff

Inspectors found expired emergency medication and equipment at a GP surgery where 85% of patients and carers who answered a survey rated the service as poor.

Healthcare Inspectorate Wales (HIW) visited the Amman Tawe Partnership’s Gwaun Cae Gurwen surgery on June 2. Its report, published on October 1, has prompted calls for urgent action from local Welsh Liberal Democrat MP David Chadwick and Senedd Member Jane Dodds.

A total of 531 patients and carers completed questionnaires. Of those answering questions about appointments, 85% said they could not obtain an urgent same-day GP appointment, while the same proportion reported difficulty accessing routine appointments when needed.

Some 79% said they could not easily obtain regular support for ongoing medical conditions, and 72% said they could not contact the practice when needed by telephone or online.

Nearly three-quarters did not feel listened to, while 67% said they were not involved in decisions about their healthcare as much as they wanted.

HIW described the responses as showing a “predominantly negative patient experience”, particularly around access, continuity of care and involvement in decisions.

During the inspection, a urine sample was discovered in an overstocked vaccine refrigerator, creating a risk of contamination. Staff removed the sample and reorganised the fridge during the visit.

Inspectors also found an unsecured oxygen cylinder and no emergency pull cord in the accessible toilet.

They required urgent action over expired emergency supplies and warned that keeping equipment in a frequently used nursing room could delay access and compromise the privacy of patients undergoing examinations.

In its improvement plan, the practice said it had strengthened weekly checks on emergency drugs and equipment, with a senior nurse responsible for monitoring the records.

It also set out plans to move emergency equipment to the main hallway. The plan records that an emergency pull cord was installed in the accessible toilet in June.

Inspectors described the premises as clean and generally well maintained, patient records as generally clear and up to date, and leaders as visible and supportive.

They praised checks to ensure patients referred urgently with suspected cancer had been offered an appointment. Patients also made positive comments about nursing care and individual clinicians.

Mr Chadwick, MP for Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe, described the report as “a vindication of the local residents who have been raising the alarm about these services for years”.

He said: “These complaints have been going on since at least 2019, yet the authorities responsible for our health services have repeatedly failed to get a grip on the situation.

“The previous Labour Health Minister failed to resolve these longstanding problems, and the current Plaid Cymru Health Minister must now act.”

Ms Dodds, the Senedd Member for Brycheiniog Tawe Nedd, said: “Patients have waited long enough for improvements. Swansea Bay and Hywel Dda health boards must now work with the practice to address the serious issues identified by inspectors and rebuild the trust of the local community.”

The two politicians held a public meeting about the practice in March.

Additional staff

HIW acknowledged wider pressures on GP services and noted that the practice had recruited additional staff and used an initial assessment of patients’ needs to help allocate appointments.

Responding to the findings in its improvement plan, the practice said it would review appointment availability, demand and telephone activity.

It said face-to-face consultations were already available where an examination, communication needs, clinical complexity or patient preference made them appropriate, and staff would be reminded of this.

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