The Care Quality Commission has downgraded the rating awarded to Humbleyard Practice, which serves the rapidly growing villages of Cringleford, Hethersett and Mulbarton, on the outskirts of Norwich.
In its report, the regulator said that the surgeries’ performance had not kept pace with the growing population, and that there was a lack of other services in the area.
It cited a number of ways in which the practice – which has branches in all three villages – was struggling, including falling behind with patient follow-ups and test results and waning staff morale.
The report reads: “There has been significant growth of new housing in recent years within the practice area.
“Since 2010, the practice list size has grown from 14,167 patients to the current list size of 21,970.
“Data provided by the practice showed an increase of patients each month since January 2010.
“This has caused significant workload challenges for the practice to meet the clinical and non-clinical needs of its patients.
“The practice continued to try and meet this challenge as there was a lack of other primary care provision in the area.”
The report adds that this increased workload has crippled staff morale leading to the surgery struggling to retain workers – adding to its troubles.
All three villages have seen significant increases in population over the past decade – according to the most recent Census – and are also experiencing continued levels of housebuilding.
Between the 2011 and 2021 surveys, Hethersett’s population swelled from 5,648 to 7,021, while Cringleford’s grew from 3,560 to 5,386 and Mulbarton’s from 3,521 to 4,019.
The villages are also expecting more than 3,000 new homes to be built in the coming years – with Cringleford in particular expecting to double in size over the next decade.
But the report has warned that the surgery is already struggling to cope with the influx of new homes – amid calls for expanded primary care services.
It comes after it was revealed talks over a new surgery for Hethersett alone are at an early stage.
The report adds: “The practice had recognised the need to review and change the strategy and structure of the practice and had developed a plan to achieve this.
“The plan had resulted from the leaders recognising that staff morale was low, staff retention and recruiting was a challenge and there was a high workload for staff.”
A spokesman from NHS Norfolk and Waveney said: “This was a comprehensive inspection that considered areas of safety, effectiveness, caring, responsiveness and leadership within the surgery.
“The report recognises the practice as good for delivering effective and caring services, and that staff dealt with patients with kindness and respect and involved them in decisions about their care.
“The report also acknowledged the impact on the practice of the significant growth of new housing in the practice area, which has created significant workforce challenges.”
The practice saw its overall CQC rating downgraded from good to requires improvement – the second lowest rating available.
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