A GP surgery has fought off the threat of closure after getting a strong rating from the healthcare regulator.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) returned to Dr AM Deshpande & Dr P Gurjar Practice, in Wharf Road, Stanford-le-Hope, and rated it as good in a report published this week. It comes after an inspection in January.

Just six months earlier the practice, which has about 3,000 patients on its books, was placed in special measures after being rated in adequate by the CQC. It meant the surgery could have been closed if it didn’t up its game.

A report from Professor Steve Field, chief inspector of general practice, confirmed the good work which has lifted the practice out of trouble.

He said: “The management and staff team structure had had some changes since our previous inspection.

“There was still further progress to be made however we found that the two practice managers and two partners were working as a team to ensure that the potential risks to patients and staff were being identified and the structure of support and learning within the staffing team was being improved.

“At our previous inspection on May 4 2016 we rated the practice as inadequate for providing safe services as policies and procedures for adult safeguarding needed reviewing.

“These arrangements had greatly improved when we undertook a follow up inspection. The practice is now rated as good for providing safe services.”