A Cumbrian MP has attacked a town’s GP surgery for failing its patients.
Cockermouth’s Castlegate and Derwent Surgery, based in the town’s community hospital, was told it required improvement by health watchdog the Care Quality Commission after an inspection last February.
Serving just over 18,500 patients, inspectors said while it was a caring service, its leadership had no clear vision and it did not always make sure there were not enough qualified, skilled and experienced staff.
Care Quality Commission inspectors were back at the Isel Road surgery earlier this month.
While the surgery said it was working with the watchdog following the report, Markus Campbell-Savours, MP for Penrith & Solway, has demanded that its sole remaining partner – Dr Simon Desert – hand back the contract for GP services.
Mr Campbell-Savours put down four Early Day Motions relating to the surgery in the House of Commons yesterday.
Early Day Motions are used to put on record the views of individual MPs or to draw attention to specific events or campaigns. They are motions submitted for debate in the House of Commons with no specified date. Very few are actually debated, but they flag up issues that are of concern to MPs.
Mr Campbell-Savours “calls upon the sole remaining partner, Dr Desert, to recognise that the current partnership has failed, to hand back the contract, and to allow the integrated care board – which commissions services – to appoint a new partnership capable of providing the safe, high-quality primary care services that the people of Cockermouth deserve”.
He also raises: “Evidence of financial mismanagement including the dismissal of a former business manager in 2023 following serious managerial failings, which led to substantial financial losses and placed the practice’s viability at risk” and claims that “conclusions of Cumbria’s senior coroner in 2025 identified a lack of proper leadership, inadequate incident investigation, and a gross failure in the care of a patient whose death was contributed to by neglect”.
At the time of the inspection last year, the surgery had seven partners. A post on social media by the surgery this week said: “A number of our GPs have recently moved on to new opportunities.”
It said it was actively recruiting new permanent GPs.
The surgery added: “One has already joined us, and further interviews are taking place shortly. Our focus is firmly on developing a strong, stable team for the future.”
Locum GPs and additional clinicians are supporting the practice in the meantime, it said.
It added it was working closely with the Care Quality Commission following the report to “support ongoing improvements and continued clinical leadership development within the practice”.
A spokesman for the NHS North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board said: “We have had, and continue to have, ongoing concerns around the future of Castlegate and Derwent Surgery.
“Our focus will always be on improving patient care and ensuring safe services for our communities.
“Our immediate actions, since the issues came to light, have focused on stabilising the service, strengthening the staff team and improving patient care.
“We’re grateful to Cumbria Health for agreeing to step in to provide additional support and ensure that patients can continue to access primary care services at this time.
“However, we are absolutely clear that the underlying issues need to be resolved urgently. We are working closely with NHS England and the Care Quality Commission to support them and ensure this improvement happens.
“In the meantime, the practice is open as usual, and patients can continue to use the service in the normal way.”
The Early Day Motions follow on from his first Early Day Motion last year which raised concerns about the surgery.
Mr Campbell-Savours’ four Early Day Motions in full
Early Day Motion 2857
That this House notes with concern the growing loss of public confidence in the Castlegate and Derwent GP Practice in Cockermouth, which serves over 18,500 patients; acknowledges long-standing issues detailed in successive Care Quality Commission inspections in 2023, 2024 and 2025, which gave an overall rating of “Requires Improvement”, with serious concerns highlighted across safety, responsiveness and leadership; regrets the continued breakdown of trust within the partnership; and expresses deep concern that public confidence in the delivery of high-quality primary care has been severely undermined.
Early Day Motion 2858
That this House notes with regret the serious deterioration of working relationships between partners at Castlegate and Derwent GP Practice; further notes that nearly all the GP partners have resigned, leaving only one partner planning to stay, with several others working out their notice periods; also notes evidence of financial mismanagement including the dismissal of a former business manager in 2023 following serious managerial failings, which led to substantial financial losses and placed the practice’s viability at risk; expresses scepticism that the partnership can successfully recruit new partners given the reputational damage and ongoing turmoil; and calls attention to the resulting toxic working environment that has contributed to operational failures at the practice.
Early Day Motion 2859
That this House notes the findings of CQC inspections in 2023, 2024 and 2025 which identified significant failures in safety, governance, responsiveness and leadership at Castlegate and Derwent GP Practice, including a warning notice issued in August 2024 for failures to establish effective systems to ensure safe patient care; further notes the conclusions of Cumbria’s senior coroner in 2025 which identified a lack of proper leadership, inadequate incident investigation, and a gross failure in the care of a patient whose death was contributed to by neglect; urges the CQC to publish the findings of its 2026 inspection to ensure transparency and accountability; and regrets that despite public statements from the senior partner in 2023 and subsequent reassurances from practice leaders, promised improvements have repeatedly failed to materialise.
Early Day Motion 2860
That this House urges NHS England to work closely with the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB) and consider all options for removing the GP contract from the Castlegate and Derwent GP partnership in order to protect patient safety; further urges the Department of Health and Social Care to review the statutory powers available to ICBs to enable timely removal of contracts from failing GP partnerships; requests that Cumberland Council’s Health Scrutiny Committee undertake an inquiry into the practice and publicly invite both current and former partners, as well as the ICB, to give evidence; calls upon the sole remaining partner, Dr Desert, to recognise that the current partnership has failed, to hand back the contract, and to allow the ICB to appoint a new partnership capable of providing the safe, high-quality primary care services that the people of Cockermouth deserve; and applauds the dedicated, hard working practice staff who have continued to support patients throughout this difficult period.
