Medical centre in Houghton Regis slammed with ‘inadequate’ rating after CQC inspection
A medical centre in Houghton Regis has been given the Care Quality Commission’s lowest rating after being inspected earlier this year.
Houghton Regis Medical Centre, also known as Dr Jinmi and Partners in Peel Street was deemed to be inadequate in a report by the CQC published at the end of October.
Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Board has said it has been supporting the practice to address the issues raised by the regulator.
The medical centre was inspected in January and February 2025 and serves around 13,500 patients.
Inspectors found serious failings across multiple areas. The CQC report highlighted significant concerns about patient safety.
The report read: “Some people who used the service told us about times when the practice had not contacted them to follow-up abnormal test results.
“The practice did not have effective systems to identify people who may be at risk of abuse or neglect.”
The CQC also found obstructed emergency exits and “the provider did not acknowledge the risk or inform staff and visitors what to do instead if there was an emergency.”
Patient feedback about the medical centre was mixed. The report found that “three of the reviews posted on the NHS website rated the practice five out of five stars. Staff were described staff as kind, compassionate, caring, friendly and patient.
However, other feedback was negative, with inspectors stating: “Patients described staff as unkind, uncaring and disrespectful,“ and “several patients… felt staff were rude and unhelpful.”
They added: “The provider had not done all they could to help make sure consultations and telephone calls with patients, and discussions with other staff could not be overheard.”
The inspectors criticised the centre for “not always [completing] all recruitment checks” and for “not [having] oversight of the performance and competence of clinical and non-clinical staff.”
Concerns were also raised about the way medicines were monitored. The CQC report stated: “Some patients… had not had medicines reviews in the last year and monitoring was significantly overdue… by up to 4 years.”
A spokesperson for Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Board, on behalf of the provider, said: “We are working to support staff at Houghton Regis Medical Centre to address the issues raised by a visit by the Care Quality Commission several months ago, so that patients can receive the safe, effective healthcare services they expect.
“The practice has updated its infection prevention and control policies and procedures, improved follow-ups for patients with long-term conditions and those requiring medication reviews, and enhanced record-keeping so that it is more readily able to provide evidence of its risk assurance measures.”
It added that the medical centre has invested in improved telephone systems and the practice is making progress, being “highly receptive” of the ICB’s support.