A GP surgery has been plunged into special measures as little more than a fifth of patients said they could easily contact staff on the phone.

Dashwood Medical Centre in Grange Road, Ramsgate, has this week been given a rating of inadequate - the lowest mark possible - by Care Quality Commission inspectors.

In a damning report penned by the watchdog, it notes that only 22% of those signed up with the surgery said they could speak to someone with little difficulty when calling the site.

Bosses of the medical centre introduced a new phone system in a bid to reduce waiting times - but inspectors also voiced concerns about safety standards and leadership at the facility.

They found “the practice did not have clear systems to keep people safeguarded from abuse” and doubted whether staff had undergone appropriate recruitment checks.

“We were provided with the recruitment files of four staff members and saw the provider had seen their employment history,” the report, which was published on Monday, reads.

“However, the provider was unable to demonstrate it had evidence of: proof of identity, pre-employment references and qualifications.

"There were also gaps in systems to assess, monitor and manage risks to patient safety."

During the inspection - which took place in November - the watchdog found "there were enough staff to provide appointments”.

The medical centre has five part-time GPs catering for 10,000 people around Ramsgate, meaning its doctor-to-patient ratios are below both national and regional averages, according to official figures published last year.

"The practice did not have clear systems, practices and processes to keep people safe and safeguarded from abuse," the report adds.

The watchdog also found blank prescriptions were not kept securely and more than 120 patients are also said to have not received required monitoring tests after having been prescribed blood pressure medication.

The assessors say the practice was falling short of national targets for immunising children and conducting scans for cervical cancer and "appropriate standards of cleanliness and hygiene were not always met".

"We are placing this service into special measures," the report continues.

"It will be inspected again within six months, and if insufficient improvements have been made, we will take action in line with our enforcement procedures to begin the process of preventing the provider from operating the service.

"This will lead to cancelling their registration or to varying the terms of their registration within six months if they do not improve."

Responding to the issues raised in the report, spokesman for Dashwood Medical Centre said: “We take the CQC findings seriously.

“We have already made urgent changes and we will continue to do so in order to bring about the necessary improvements going forward.

“In the mean time we will continue to see as many patients as possible."