A LEIGH GP practice faces the threat of closure after inspectors ruled it to be inadequate and placed it in special measures.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) found an extensive number of problems at the Dr Naya Nand Das’ surgery on Church Street and has threatened 'to move to close the service' unless significant improvements are made.

The inspectors found the practice to be inadequate in three of the five main areas – safety, service effectiveness and leadership.

They also concluded that caring for patients and responsiveness at the practice requires improvement.

Responding to the report, Dr Das said: “We are improving our services like they have stated and we will be sending a report to CQC next week.”

Professor Steve Field, chief inspector of general practice at CQC, said: “I am placing this practice in special measures.

“The practice will be kept under review and if needed could be escalated to urgent enforcement action.

“Where necessary, another inspection will be conducted within a further six months and if there is not enough improvement we will move to close the service.

“Special measures will give people who use the practice the reassurance that the care they get should improve.”

The report ruled that the practice does not meet the safe care and treatment requirements of the Health and Social Care Act Regulations 2014 for a number of reasons.

They included failing to ensure care and treatment was provided to patients safely, not doing all the necessary employment checks on staff, not ensuring that the premises are safe to use and not carrying out any fire risk assessments, fire evacuation drills and alarm testings.

The other key findings of the assessment included a lack of clear leadership structure at the practice, limited disabled access to the treatment rooms and other facilities, no health and safety assessments or checks in place to tackle fire safety and the threat of legionnaires' disease and no oxygen available in case of an emergency.

The report also criticised the practice for not thoroughly investigating and reviewing incidents and near misses and for not sharing the outcomes with staff, as well as for not making information available in all the languages spoken by those using the surgery.

The inspectors demanded the introduction of regular fire alarms and drills, ensuring that oxygen is available in the event of an emergency, the creation of business plans and improvements to recruitment and the practice’s management.