‘John Lewis-style’ GP provider forced to close after CQC inspection

A GP provider operating a ‘John Lewis-style’, employee-owned model has closed following a notice of suspension from the CQC.

Minehead Medical Practice in Somerset closed suddenly at lunchtime yesterday, with the ICB quickly appointing a new provider later the same day.

The CQC issued an ‘urgent’ three-month suspension to the previous provider, Minehead Medical Ltd, due to concern that patients ‘may be exposed to the risk of harm’. 

One Medical Group, a company which runs 16 healthcare sites and services across the UK, has taken over the contract and restarted services from today.

In 2022, the GP practice announced that it had launched an employee-owned trust (EOT) model after rejecting a merger with the local hospital trust.

This allowed partners to ‘de-risk themselves’ while also creating opportunities for more staff to have a leadership role and a say in how the practice is run, without needing the money to invest in partnership. 

The move was also in response to recruitment issues caused by the practice’s rural location.

At the time, GP partner Dr Ed Ford said the team was committed to ‘continuing to drive up standards’ and deliver the ‘best standard of care’ to patients.

Almost two years later, the EOT has been forced to fold at Minehead Medical Practice, but the full reasons for the CQC decision are not yet known. 

A spokesperson for the regulator said: ‘Following an inspection of Minehead Medical Centre in Somerset, CQC took urgent action yesterday, to suspend the provider who runs the centre, Minehead Medical Ltd, from being able to carry out regulated activities at the medical centre for three months. 

‘We took this action because we believe if we didn’t, people using the service may be exposed to the risk of harm.’

They added: ‘CQC was working with partner organisations to ensure people using this service were still able to access the care that they need now, and in future from an alternative provider with no break in service. 

‘However, the provider made an independent decision to stop accepting appointments and referrals from Tuesday lunchtime onwards, until the new provider was due to take over from Wednesday morning.’

Somerset ICB said it is working closely with One Medical Group to ‘ensure a smooth transition’ and assured patients that they can continue to access GP services in the same way. 

ICB chief medical officer Dr Bernie Marden said: ‘Our focus is ensuring that patients at Minehead Medical Centre have access to safe and effective GP services. We are pleased to announce a new provider has now been appointed and the practice will open as usual from Wednesday morning.

‘We apologise for the concern caused for patients while we were in the process of confirming a new provider. Over the coming days, patients may notice new faces in the practice, and we would ask you to be kind and patient with the staff who are working hard to provide the care you need.’

Last week, a practice in Worcester announced its imminent closure and dispersal of 5,000 patients due to ‘challenges with recruitment and rising costs’. 

In 2022, nearly 60 GP practices across the UK closed their doors, according to data obtained by Pulse.

And Pulse exclusively revealed last week that a practice invited all salaried GPs to take voluntary redundancy because it had been ‘running at a loss’ and needed to save £350,000 per year.