A DOCTORS surgery has issued a rallying cry to its patients to help it improve and take up its offer for medical help.

Diane Parrott, the practice manager at the Ragstone Road Surgery in Slough, has called on patients to take up offers of appointments to prevent the surgery being rated poorly by inspectors.

The surgery was branded as “requires improvement” by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) following an inspection in June, with the report stating that patient uptake of medical screenings and checks was not good enough.

But Mrs Parrott believes the CQC rating is harsh because of this, and has called on patients to help the surgery boost its rating.

She said: “We need to further encourage patients to attend their screenings for diabetes or asthma for example.

“We send them three letters at two month intervals.

“If at that point they have not responded we phone them and if then we have still not heard from them then they are exception reported.

“The CQC has picked us up on this and we feel it has been an unfair report given we cannot force a patient to do anything.

“We are going to have to start being more firm, particularly with repeat prescriptions as it is dangerous for them to continue with the medication without being checked.”

Mrs Parrott said the surgery should have been closed down in 2013 as it was in such dire straits, with nothing in place in regards to practices or policies.

She said: “It was a complete and utter mess. We viewed it as a chance to put in place a five year plan and we are three years into that plan.”

The report, published on August 5, rated the surgery as “requires improvement” for provision of effective, caring and well-led services, but was rated good for providing safe and responsive services.

Meanwhile, Burnham Health Centre in Minniecroft Road has been rated “good” in all areas by the CQC after turning round its previous requires improvement rating handed out in November last year.

Practice manager Roger Herbert felt the previous rating was harsh.

He said: “The first inspection lacked common sense as a few minor administrative issues which had nothing to do with patient care or anything like that was held against us.

“We made some minor amendments to some administrative things and that has resulted in everything being rated as good.

“The service we provide has not changed.

“It was excellent before and that has not changed and it will always be the same.

“The next aim is to maintain the services that we provide and will always continue to provide, and we are always looking to improve our service.”