A GP surgery in Canning Town has been branded “inadequate” across the board in a scathing inspectorate report.

Custom House Medical, Teaching and Training Practice in Freemasons Road was slapped with the lowest rating for being safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

It is now in special measures after a report published Friday found a range of clinical and patient satisfaction rankings “below local and national averages”.

“There must now be substantial improvements at this practice,” said Michele Golden, the health watchdog’s acting deputy chief inspector of general practice.

“The service will be kept under and could be escalated to urgent enforcement action.”

Custom House will be closed if no improvements are found during a follow-up inspection within the next six months.

“The practice is very disappointed to receive this rating from our regulator,” said manager Mohammed Al-Mahfuz.

“We are fully committed to making the required improvements and are working hard with all the parties involved, and will continue to do so to ensure that our patients receive the level and quality of care that they deserve.”

According to the report, based on a visit in January, the safety of patients “was not always” well managed and assessed properly, including in regards to equipment, fire safety and infection control.

Inspectors noted gaps in staff training and recruitment checks, such as reference checks for clinical teams.

The surgery did not have “effective governance systems” to ensure it was run well, they added.

“Significant” changes in staffing had taken place, warned Michele, with the “high turnover of GPs” and rotating managers needing “to be addressed”.

The site must now ensure the premises and equipment are all “fit for use” and treatment provided “in a safe way to patients”.

Hiring procedures must be whipped into line with staff receiving adequate training, support and oversight from management to meet standards of care.

Custom House should also review how staff record clinical audits and respond to patient feedback, the CQC suggests.