A GP SURGERY offering regulated services it was not allowed to provide has been branded inadequate.

Regency Surgery in Old Steine, Brighton, has immediately stopped offering its family planning appointments, after inspectors found it was not registered to provide them.

The practice was placed under “special measures” by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) for failing to keep patients safe and away from “avoidable harm”.

Risks to patients, staff and visitors were “not always” assessed, monitored or managed and an effective manner, inspectors said in a report.

The report was published on September 7.

It found the running of Regency Square did not promote high quality care, and it was branded inadequate overall.

“I am placing this service in special measures,” the inspector said in their report.

“Services placed in special measures will be inspected again within six months.

"If insufficient improvements have been made such that there remains a rating of inadequate for any key question or overall, we will take action in line with our enforcement procedures to begin the process of preventing the provider from operating the service.

“This will lead to cancelling their registration or to varying the terms of their registration within six months if they do not improve.

“The service 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 by adopting our proposal to remove this location or cancel the provider’s registration.”

Regency Surgery was, however, found to have high levels of happiness among staff regarding the support provided by the management team.

Staff also were found to have good career progression prospects.

The surgery is said to have taken “immediate action” on its lack of family planning registration, submitting forms to the CQC which are now being reviewed.

Regency Surgery was contacted for comment.