Nearly a third of GP surgeries in Waltham Forest are putting patients at risk due to poor treatment, it has been revealed.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has issued warnings about standards at 12 of the 45 surgeries in the borough, which have all been given the lowest possible grade (Band 1) for standards.

The worst was The Hayat Medical Centre in Boundary Road, Walthamstow, where 18 out of a possible 38 indicators were highlighted as being at risk.

These included a high risk to patients with dementia and diabetes who were treated poorly and were not involved in decisions on their care.

Dr Ijaz Hayat was issued with three warnings by the CQC last year after inspectors found service users were inadequately protected from the risk of abuse.

St James Medical Centre in St James Street, Walthamstow has been deemed as a priority for inspection by the CQC as patients face the highest risk of receiving poor care.

There were five areas of major concern in the way patients were treated and spoken to by their GP or a nurse and a high number of people who were not satisfied with the surgery.

Other surgeries judged to be putting patients at risk of poor care were Lime Tree Surgery in Cann Hall Road, Leytonstone, and Walthamstow surgeries Claremont Medical Centre in Claremont Road, The Firs Medical Centre in Stephenson Rd, The Penrhyn Surgery in Penrhyn Avenue, Wood Street Health Centre in Linford Road, Dr Daoud Yosuf Adbulrahman Shantir in Forest Road, and Addison Road Medical Centre in Ravenswood Road.

Those highlighted as failing patients in Leyton were Orient Practice in Oliver Road, Crawley Road Medical Centre in High Road and Dr S Phillips and Dr M Patel’s surgery in Lea Bridge Road.

Six other surgeries in the borough received a band 2 rating. 

These included Larkshall Medical Centre, in Larkshall Road, Chingford, where diabetes patients were found to be at high risk.

Only eight surgeries in Waltham Forest achieved the best score for treatment (Band 6).

For more on this story, see this week's Guardian - out today