A national report into how GP surgeries are performing found that two practices in Stevenage fell into the ‘elevated risk’ category.

Chells Surgery and the Stanmore Medical Group were found to be operating below par by the Care Quality Commission’s Intelligent Monitoring report and have been told to prepare for an inspection next year.

The report focused on 38 indicators, with safety, effectiveness, patient care, responsiveness and organisation assessed in each.

The report said the Chells Surgery was in the elevated risk category with GPs failing to treat patients with care and concern and involving people in decisions about their care.

The surgery also had a higher than normal level of patients with high cholesterol.

The report said the surgery had a higher than normal number of patients with diabetes suffering from high blood pressure and a likelihood of developing kidney and foot problems.

The Chells Way practice declined to opportunity to respond when contacted by the Comet.

At the Stanmore Medical Group, which has two practices in Stevenage – in Stanmore Road and Magpie Crescent – patients didn’t offer a glowing report when asked if their GP was good at involving them in decisions about their care and treating them with care and concern.

The practice was also found to be at risk on the number of emergency admissions, the percentage of patients with diabetes who had too much sugar in their blood, who were at risk of kidney problems and who had high cholesterol.

Respondents were also unsatisfied with their overall GP experience and the surgery’s opening hours.

In response, one doctor who works for the surgery said: “It has not come at a terrible shock because we were four doctors down for three months.

“We are supposed to have nine GPs operating across the two surgeries and we were severely short staffed for months which took its toll on the service.

“The problem persisted for so long because we had a lack of applicants.”

The commission’s report published information on every GP practice in the UK and aims to show the public how it will decide which surgeries to inspect and what it will focus on.

Practices that are highlighted as being at risk will be treated as a priority, but it does not mean patients are in danger. For more information visit www.cqc.org.uk.