Archived: Dr Touseef Safdar

Updated 5 October 2022

Dr Touseef Safdar surgery is located in Dudley:

The Surgery

Central Clinic

Hall Street

Dudley

West Midlands

DY2 7BX

The provider is registered with CQC to deliver the Regulated Activities; diagnostic and screening procedures and treatment of disease, disorder or injury.

The practice is situated within the Black Country and West Birmingham Integrated Care System and delivers General Medical Services (GMS) to a patient population of about 3,965 patients. This is part of a contract held with NHS England.

Information published by Public Health England shows that deprivation within the practice population group is in the lowest decile (one of 10). The lower the decile, the more deprived the practice population is relative to others.

According to the latest available data, the ethnic make-up of the practice area is 68% White, with a further 32% from Black, Asian, mixed or other non-white ethnic groups.

The practice is led by a single-handed GP. At the time of our inspection the lead GP was unable to carry out clinical duties however, they retain managerial responsibility for the practice. The practice employs, three long term locum GP’s and two part time locum nurses. The clinical team is supported by a practice manager and five reception/administrative staff. At the time of our inspection the practice manager had handed in her notice and a new provider was taking over the practice.

Due to the enhanced infection prevention and control measures put in place since the pandemic and in line with the national guidance, most GP appointments were telephone consultations. If the GP needs to see a patient face-to-face then the patient is offered an appointment at the surgery.

Extended access is provided locally by Dudley and Netherton Primary Care Network (PCN), where late evening and weekend appointments are available. Out of hours services are provided by West Midlands Ambulance Service via NHS 111.

Updated 5 October 2022

We carried out an announced focused inspection at Dr Touseef Safdar on 7 and 26 July 2022. Overall, the practice is rated as Inadequate.

Safe - Inadequate

Effective - Inadequate

Caring – Requires Improvement

Responsive - Requires Improvement

Well-led - Inadequate

The practice was inspected in June 2021 and was rated Inadequate overall. We carried out an unannounced inspection in September 2021 due to information of concern. This was an unrated inspection and we issued a warning notice for a breach of regulation. We carried out an inspection in October 2021 to confirm that the practice had carried out their plan to meet the legal requirements regarding the breaches in regulation set out in the requirement notice and warning notice we issued to the provider in relation to Regulation 12 Safe Care and Treatment and Regulation 17 Good Governance. An unannounced inspection was carried out in December 2021 due to information of concern and further enforcement action was taken.

Overall, the practice remains rated as Inadequate.

The full reports for previous inspections can be found by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Dr Touseef Safdar on our website at www.cqc.org.uk

Why we carried out this inspection

This inspection was a comprehensive inspection to re-rate the practice and follow up previous breaches of regulation from previous inspections.

How we carried out the inspection

We were mindful of the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on our regulatory function. This meant we took account of the exceptional circumstances arising as a result of the COVID -19 pandemic when considering what type of inspection was necessary and proportionate. At this inspection we followed up on areas of concern using our focused inspection methodology.

This included:

• A site visit.
• Conducting staff interviews.
• Completing clinical searches on the practice’s patient records system.
• Requesting evidence from the provider.

We found that:

• There were gaps in systems to assess, monitor and manage risks to patient safety, including safeguarding and long term conditions.
• The practice did not have reliable systems in place for the appropriate and safe use of medicines, this included regular monitoring arrangements for patients with long term conditions.
• Staff did not always have the information they needed to deliver safe care and treatment.
• There was no systematic structured approach with effective clinical oversight of patient information including clinical data.
• The practice was unable to demonstrate that it consistently acted on safety alerts.
• Staff did not always work effectively together and with other organisations to deliver effective care and treatment.
• Staff were not consistent and proactive in helping patients to live healthier lives.
• The practice did not have fully embedded assurance systems and had not proactively identified and managed risks. Leaders could not show that they had the capacity and skills to deliver high quality, sustainable care.
• Staff did not always treat patients with kindness, respect and compassion. Feedback from patients was negative about the way staff treated them.
• Services did not always meet patients’ needs.
• People were not able to access care and treatment in a timely way.
• There was a lack of leadership oversight and the absence of comprehensive systems and processes to monitor the quality and effectiveness of the service and the care provided.
• There was no formal system in place to assess and monitor the governance arrangements.
• Leaders could not demonstrate that they had the capacity and skills to deliver high quality sustainable care.

This service was placed in special measures in August 2021. The provider submitted an application to voluntarily cancel their registration as a provider with CQC.

Details of our findings and the evidence supporting our ratings are set out in the evidence tables.

Dr Sean O’Kelly BSc MB ChB MSc DCH FRCA

Chief Inspector of Hospitals and Interim Chief Inspector of Primary Medical Services