Independent local intelligence

Today Whitehaven Christmas lights go on tomorrow, with Gerard Richardson doing the honours This week Wren Kitchens plans a showroom in the former Listers store in Workington This week Sellafield plans new plant to handle radioactive sludge from its 1950s fuel pond This week Cockermouth GP surgery in special measures to update councillors on Thursday This week Weekend sport preview: the Reds chase an FA Trophy third round place at Ashton United
Local Cockermouth · West Cumbria

Castlegate and Derwent surgery is back in front of councillors on Thursday, with inspectors in this week too Cockermouth GP surgery in special measures to update councillors on Thursday

By Kris WM, editor 3 min read From newsandstar.co.uk
Marra Mode

Marra Mode is how your mate would tell you down the pub over a pint. Switch it off for the straight version.

Cockermouth GP surgery in special measures to update councillors on Thursday
Photo: Graham Robson via Geograph / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0

The Cockermouth surgery that got rated inadequate is due back in front of councillors on Thursday. The CQC inspectors are also in from Monday, and the surgery shuts at 1pm Thursday for training.

If you're with Castlegate and Derwent Surgery in Cockermouth, here's what's happening this week.

A senior GP from the practice is due in front of Cumberland Council's health scrutiny committee at the Copeland Centre in Whitehaven on Thursday 19 November. The report for the meeting says there's been "positive progress" since the CQC published its findings back in June.

Quick recap: the CQC rated the surgery inadequate after inspecting in February. They found it breaking the rules on safe care, management, safeguarding and dealing with complaints, and turned up more than 1,000 reminders to book things like blood tests, scans and X-rays sat in the diary. Up to September 2019 it had been rated good.

When the surgery went before councillors in July, Dr Simon Desert said sorry to patients and said: "We have to acknowledge there has been a serious failure of governance. This has been a coach crash." His plan to fix it comes in three stages: two weeks to get risks under control, six months to get rid of them, then a longer-term change in how it's run. The BBC said there's a police investigation into financial malpractice still going on.

The surgery's own website says the CQC are in to assess it again from Monday 16 to Wednesday 25 November. It'll also be shut from 1pm on Thursday 19 November for staff training, and there might still be delays while they catch up after Friday's Microsoft outage.

What to do: sort anything you need before Thursday dinner time, and ring NHS 111 if you need help while it's shut. The committee meeting is open to the public, and the papers are on the council's meetings website.

Castlegate and Derwent Surgery in Cockermouth, rated inadequate and in special measures, is due to update Cumberland Council's health scrutiny committee in Whitehaven on Thursday 19 November. The Care Quality Commission is also assessing the practice from 16 to 25 November.

This is for patients of Castlegate and Derwent Surgery in Cockermouth, which is in special measures.

A senior GP from the practice is expected to update Cumberland Council's health overview and scrutiny committee at the Copeland Centre in Whitehaven on Thursday 19 November. According to the report for the meeting, "positive progress" has been made since the Care Quality Commission (CQC) published its findings in June.

The CQC rated the surgery inadequate after an inspection in February. Inspectors found breaches of regulations covering safe care and treatment, good management, safeguarding and acting on complaints, and found more than 1,000 reminders to arrange appointments, including blood tests, scans and X-rays, in the surgery's diary. The CQC told councillors in July that the practice had been rated good overall until September 2019.

At that July meeting, Dr Simon Desert apologised to patients and said: "We have to acknowledge there has been a serious failure of governance. This has been a coach crash." He set out a three-phase recovery plan: risk mitigation over two weeks, risk elimination over six months, then what he called metamorphosis and shared governance. The BBC reported that a police financial malpractice investigation was ongoing.

The surgery's own news page says the CQC is carrying out a new assessment of the practice from Monday 16 to Wednesday 25 November, and that the surgery will close from 1pm on Thursday 19 November for staff training. It also warns there may still be delays while it clears the backlog from Friday's Microsoft outage.

What you can do: plan around the Thursday afternoon closure, and use NHS 111 if you need help when the surgery is shut. Committee meetings are public, and papers are on Cumberland Council's meetings website.