A GP surgery has been plunged into special measures after a damning report by the health watchdog.

Farrow Medical Centre, Otley Road, received an overall ‘inadequate’ rating following its latest inspection in April.

The practice was placed in special measures in 2018 but was then taken out in 2020. 

The new report was described as “a disappointment" by the surgery’s GP partner. 

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) rated the service ‘inadequate’ in categories for safety, leadership, responsiveness, and effectiveness. 

Farrow Medical Centre, which has more than 8,000 registered patients, was ranked as ‘good’ for the inspection question, ‘Is the service caring?’.

In the report, the CQC reported three breaches of regulations as well as issues with the management of vaccines and medicines. 

Published in June, the report said: “At this inspection we found additional concerns regarding the management of complaints and significant events.

"Further issues with the management of vaccine refrigerators and infection, prevention and control and issues were identified, alongside the safe management of medicines. 

“The provider did not consistently demonstrate the delivery of safe, responsive, effective and well-led care to all their patients.

“The management of significant events at the practice did not keep staff or service users safe.

“Staff fed back that senior leaders and the team were approachable, caring and supportive.”

Farrow Medical Centre will be reinspected within six months.

The CQC said that if insufficient improvements have been made and there remains an 'inadequate' rating for any population group, key question or overall, it "will take action in line with our enforcement procedures to begin the process of preventing the provider from operating the service". 

The report raised concerns over the service’s decision to store a number of death certificates containing sensitive, personal information in a box near prescription stationery. 

The inspector said: “Numerous members of the non-clinical team were able to access the storage cupboard where these were held.”

The report also found patients did not always receive follow-up appointments after blood tests.

Meanwhile, several safety alerts had been issued after prescribing some types of medication which may be harmful to pregnant women.

The provider was warned about gaps in the recording of temperatures for four vaccine refrigerators and vaccine fridges being over-stocked. 

The inspector discovered two vaccines stored in a refrigerator were out of date and expired in January 2023.

However, the report added: “The practice was responsive to the needs of older patients and through primary care networking was able to offer home visits and urgent appointments for those with enhanced needs and complex medical issues. 

“In recognition of the religious and cultural observances of some patients, the GP would respond quickly, often outside of normal working hours, to provide the necessary death certification to enable prompt burial in line with families’ wishes when bereavement occurred.

“Parents or guardians with concerns about a young child were offered a same-day appointment when necessary.”

Dr Wendy Leedham, GP partner at Farrow Medical Centre, said: “The rating we have been given by CQC has come as a disappointment to myself and my colleagues, who continue to work hard to provide the best possible care and support for our patients. 

“The report acknowledges our person-centred approach to caring, while we acknowledge areas for improvement we are confident that we can resolve. 

“We would like to assure patients that we are dedicated to provide safe, high-quality care for all and will focus on improving our management of long-term conditions and medication reviews as areas for improvement that the inspection has highlighted. 

“However, it is encouraging to know that over 80 per cent of our patients have told us they are satisfied with the overall experience of our services, which is well above the national average, and we will continue to work hard to provide our patients with the levels of care and treatment they expect and deserve.”

Bradford District and Craven Health and Care Partnership will be working with Farrow Medical Centre to address the issues raised in the report. 

A spokesperson said: “We know that the practice, like all others across Bradford District and Craven, is providing more appointments than ever before which is reassuring to our patients.

“We will work with colleagues from the practice to understand how they can reflect and respond to the areas of improvement identified.”