An under-fire West Cumbrian GP surgery has scrapped its triage system as part of its commitment to improve.
Castlegate & Derwent Surgery in Cockermouth was placed into special measures by the Care Quality Commission following an inspection.
Inspectors found that there were breaches of regulation of safe care and treatment, good management of the service, safeguarding and acting on complaints.
Over 1,000 reminders to arrange appointments were found in the surgery’s diary, including blood tests, scans and X-rays.
It serves around 18,500 patients in the town and surrounding areas.
Members of Cumberland Council’s health overview and scrutiny committee invited bosses from the surgery to join their meeting next Thursday, July 30.
A report to the committee ahead of the meeting said progress had been made at the practice, based in the town’s community hospital.
Prepared by the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board, the report said there had been a complete overhaul of how appointments were triaged.
The report said after reviewing the existing health triage arrangement, they recommended its termination specifically due to patient safety concerns.
The surgery has transitioned to a new subcontracting arrangement managed by Cumbria Health and the board has commissioned an independent review into the former triage provider’s clinician activity and access to patient EMIS records to ensure full accountability.
The report added that the surgery was engaging constructively and was currently on an “improving trajectory”.
Following a dedicated commissioning assurance visit on June 18, the board said the practice had taken swift action to rectify the most pressing issues.
Key improvements highlighted in the report include:
- Clearing earlier access backlogs with direct support from Cumbria Health.
- Strengthening both complaints handling and incident oversight processes.
- Progressing necessary safeguarding actions and engaging with ICB safeguarding leads.
- Improving locum induction processes and continuity of care.
While the board is the commissioner of the services, day-to-day operations and the implementation of the improvements remain the sole responsibility of Castlegate and Derwent Surgery as an independent GP contractor.
The report added that it was important to make sure that the recent rapid changes were not just temporary fixes.
The board will maintain enhanced oversight – tracking remedial actions via a single action plan – to confirm that improvements were embedded, consistently applied and sustained over time.
The Care Quality Commission is scheduled to carry out a follow-up visit to the Cockermouth practice in the latter part of this year.
