A TROUBLED GP surgery with warring doctors could be closed down after serious concerns were raised about the safety of patients.

Rochford Medical Practice, in Back Lane, Rochford, has been placed into special measures after Care Quality Commission inspectors rated it as inadequate.

Its two GPs, Dr Jose Bajen and Dr Inigo Blasco, who are registered as a partnership with the commission, are currently in a “legal dispute.”

In a report published this week, lead inspector Steve Field said: “This dispute pervaded through the practice and impacted on staff working at the practice, creating an unhappy working environment.

“One GP did not work every day and the other GP had been stopped from providing clinical care.

“Therefore the practice had no clear leadership structure, insufficient leadership capacity and limited formal governance arrangements.”

During the April inspection, the commission found patients because procedures were not in place to monitor those on high-risk medicines.

Dr Bajen said the practice is working closely with the commission and the Castle Point and Rochford Clinical Commissioning Group to address the problems raised.

He said: “Making sure patients receive safe and high quality services is essential. We are working through an action plan that we have drawn up since the inspection to resolve a number of things including incomplete guidelines and policies that should have been in place or updated.

“We have taken immediate action and good progress is being made with the action plan across all areas of concern.

“Whilst we acknowledge that there are certain areas in which we can improve, we are pleased that a recent national patient survey showed that 84 percent of our patients said they would recommend our services to others, compared to the local average of 75 percent.

“We would like to reassure our patients that we are working hard to resolve the issues highlighted.”

The practice will be inspected again in six months and could face closure if it does not improve its inadequate rating.

Despite the concerns raised, patients spoken to during the inspection were found to be positive about their interactions with staff and felt they were treated with compassion and dignity- although some patients said they had experienced difficulty with reception staff.

Nine out of ten patients secured an appointment when needed.