Devon's NHS 111 service rated 'inadequate' by inspectors
Watch: Care Quality Commission inspector on Devon Doctors
Devon's NHS 111 and GP out-of-hours services have been rated 'inadequate' and placed into special measures.
During an inspection in December last year, the Care Quality Commission found "ineffective management processes, poor outcomes for patients and weak leadership."
Devon Doctors, which runs the services based in Exeter, have been told to make urgent improvements.
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Inspection manager Nicola Cliffe said some concerns raised at a previous inspection in July 2020 were still present.
"They centred around management and governance processes in relation to safety and risk, how patients were managed, whether they experienced delays on calls, whether they received a timely call back from a clinician," she said.
"We have to remember that Devon Doctors has been working in an unprecedented time during the pandemic and undoubtedly that has had an impact on their ability to be able to make the improvements."
The CQC says it has been working with clinical commissioning groups across Devon to improve things and inspectors will return soon to check on progress.
Nicola Cliffe added: "People should continue to use the 111 and out of hours services in Devon, people shouldn't be worried about using the service and should continue to do so as normal."
Devon Doctors apologised and said it had "taken longer than we hoped to resolve all the concerns raised by the CQC" in July.
"Despite unprecedented challenges, progress is being made," a spokesman added.
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