GP surgery told to urgently improve safety

A GP surgery that was rated "inadequate" following an inspection last year has had further urgent safety conditions placed on it.

Cricklade Surgery, in Wiltshire - which also operates a branch in the village of Ashton Keynes - serves more than 3,000 people and was already in special measures.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) served three warning notices to the practice over regulation breaches in December 2025, but another inspection in April showed there were still breaches, leading to it being re-rated as "inadequate".

The surgery says there have been a "number of positive changes" and the report did "not reflect the excellent care that we give our patients".

Among the issues, inspectors visiting in April found the practice did not ensure emergency medicines were always easy to find, risking delays in urgent treatment.

There were also not enough medicine reviews for people who took several difference medications regularly, leaving them at risk of side effects.

Victoria Oecken, CQC's deputy director of operations in the south west, explained test results were not always reviewed on time.

"Our inspectors found abnormal results sitting unchecked because they'd been assigned to staff who were off work, and this hadn't been picked up until we raised it ourselves.

"That kind of delay could mean people miss out on care they urgently need."

There was also not enough training for reception staff to safely assess how urgently people needed to be seen when booking appointments, a complaint about handling of confidential information, and staff saying they were not confident raising concerns.

"However, inspectors did find that people using the practice spoke positively about their care, and satisfaction survey results were in line with national averages," added Oecken.

The urgent conditions from the CQC mean the surgery must create a clear system to make sure improvements come in.

They will need to send evidence to the CQC every month showing what they have done.

"The Care Quality Commission (CQC), has taken action to protect people using Cricklade Surgery in Swindon and re-rated it as inadequate following an inspection in April," the inspection report said.

The surgery has emphasised this latest report was "based on an inspection carried out several months ago".

"We have made a number of positive changes and we continue to work with CQC.

"The report does not reflect the excellent care that we give our patients."

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