A Woodford Green GP surgery that failed to provide curtains in consulting areas and had reception staff fill in to take blood pressure readings has been rated inadequate.

In an inspection carried out by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) The Dr Kandasamy Sundaram Roding Lane surgery, Roding Lane North, scored an inadequate rating in all five categories.

Concerns over Legionnaires’ disease, the storing of vaccines above the required temperature and patients records being visible were also listed in the report.

Under the CQC’s new programme of inspections, all of England’s GP practices are being given a rating according to whether they are safe, effective, caring, responsive and well led.

The inspector said there was a lack of strong governance at the surgery, patients were at risk of harm because systems and processes were not in place to keep them safe and GP satisfaction scores were lower than average.

“Curtains were not provided in consulting rooms to maintain patients’ privacy and dignity during examinations, investigations and treatments,” the inspector said.

“Conversations taking place in these rooms could also be overheard.

“We saw several patient notes had been left on the table in a clinical room which was visible from the waiting area.”

The inspector also commented that the business continuity plan sent by the practice after the inspection was not fit for purpose as it made reference to the primary care trust (PCT), an organisation which ceased to exist in 2013.

There was also no evidence to show that the high risk rating for contaminated water had be acted upon and on four occasions vaccines were stored at temperatures nine degrees higher than recommended.

“The practice told us of the action they had taken to alert authorities and dispose of vaccines, but could provide no record of this action,” the inspector commented.

Professor Steve Field, chief inspector of general practice, said: “Since we began inspecting GP practices in October 2014 we have found over 200 practices to be Inadequate. While this is a minority, this still amounts to over half a million patients in England who were not receiving the basic standards of care that they should be able to expect from their GP practice.”

The surgery has been contacted for comment.