FAILSWORTH Labour Councillors Pete Davis, Elaine Garry and Norman Briggs have called for intervention at Failsworth Group Practice.

The demand comes after the surgery, which is the largest in Failsworth and serves patients from Failsworth and beyond, was placed into special measures following an inspection by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Writing to local health bosses, the councillors say The placement of Failsworth Group Practice into special measures came as no surprise to many of their patients. As Councillors we have fielded numerous complaints relating to the practice over many years. Principally these complaints have mainly been in relation to the difficulty in securing appointments with GPs at the practice, though the latest inspection report demonstrates that problems at Failsworth Group Practice go beyond this.’

The inspection report from the CQC found the practice to be “inadequate” in all areas. Most worryingly the report found that the practice was found not to be providing safe service to their patients.

Councillor Pete Davis said, “This is not the first report to find that Failsworth Group Practice is not providing good services to its patients. Every available report on the CQC website, dating back to 2015, found some sort of failure or said the practice needed to improve. Seven years on it’s clear the leadership at the surgery aren’t capable of turning things around and so it’s time somebody else stepped in.”

Councillor Elaine Garry added, “The surgery was inspected in May 2021 and rated ‘Requires Improvement’ on patient safety. They were served with a notice to improve. By the time the inspectors returned in December last year things were no better and the surgery had been downgraded to inadequate. How long are the people of Failsworth expected to wait for things to get better?”

Councillor Norman Briggs, who met with the surgery in February 2021 to discuss complaints he had received from residents, expressed his disappointment at how bad things have now got. He said, “I had a meeting with Failsworth Group Practice in February last year. The leaders at the surgery said they were recruiting more staff and were investing in their phone system to make it easier to get an appointment. I left that meeting feeling reassured but the promised improvements have not materialised. It’s time for action.”

The Councillors are demanding immediate action to protect patients.

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