A patient at a doctor's office where three of the staff members have been placed on leave called the place a "shambles.".
In the West Midlands, Great Barr Medical Practice's registration with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) was suspended due to critical patient safety concerns.
According to Sinead Sankey, her daughter needed another surgery before a brain cyst was discovered in her.
The NHS Trust that is now in charge of the office, Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust, declared that it was giving old patient complaints top priority.
The Care Quality Commission has suspended three doctors of medicine (GPs).
According to Ms. Sankey, her oldest daughter visited the doctor's office several times over the course of a few years complaining of frequent headaches but was only given painkillers without a diagnosis.
She went to a different surgery because she was so frustrated, and they sent her in for a scan that showed she had a brain cyst.
"Thankfully, they believe it to be benign, and they are only keeping an eye on it with medication. However, it makes you very angry because there could have been much worse things. ".
Since she also cares for her aunt, Ms. Sankey, a patient at the practice for about 25 years, claimed she needed home visits, which the office allegedly refused to provide.
She claims that the staff was unfriendly when she finally succeeded in getting her aunt there, and they left.
They called me eight months after she passed away to inquire if I was still caring for her. Now, they can only get better. ".
Due to safety concerns, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) suspended the registration of Great Barr Medical Practice and three general practitioners for a period of six months in May.
The NHS Black Country Integrated Care Board (ICB) stated that a two-day surprise inspection in April "confirmed the collective concerns.".
The BBC has spoken to several patients who have expressed concerns about the quality of care as well as ongoing difficulties getting appointments, callbacks, and access to services.
People merely want access to a doctor, according to patient David Twine.
Similar to Ms. Sankey, another patient, Emma, claimed that the clinic forbade home visits after her dementia-stricken grandfather Brian contracted a water infection.
Before the surgery suggested taking him to the hospital, the family tried for about a month to get a doctor to come and see him as his condition deteriorated.
The water infection progressed to sepsis, which inevitably led to his hospitalization and prevented my grandad from returning home, according to Emma.
In January 2019, he passed away. He might still be alive today, albeit with dementia, if they had treated him sooner. At least we would have had a little more time with him. ".
David Twine, a fellow patient, claimed that trying to make an appointment was so frustrating that it had discouraged him from trying.
When I would go in, they would tell me they couldn't give me an appointment that day because they were full, but they also couldn't give me one in the future, so it was just stupid and I'd just leave it to be honest, he said.
After the medical center was created by the merger of two neighborhood clinics before the pandemic, some patients reportedly told the BBC that standards had fallen.
The surgeries before that provided the best service possible, according to Ms. Sankey.
"I've stopped going. I'd use 111 if I were sick instead. ".
Daren Fradgley, chief integration officer for the trust, responded to the complaints by saying, "We are aware of historic patient complaints made before we stepped in to manage the practice, and are looking into these as a priority to see how we can help.
Patient safety continues to be our top priority as we make sure patients get the right care at the right time.
"Patients registered at the practice are encouraged to keep coming to their appointments and calling the office as usual, where they will be seen by GPs and clinicians coordinated by the trust.
"While managing the service for a six-month interim period, we are doing everything we can to minimize disruption.
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