A health centre which was left without doctors has been placed in special measures.

Care Quality Commission inspectors visited Iwade Health Centre, in Monins Road, near Sittingbourne, on June 6.

During the inspection, regulators found there were not enough staff to keep patients safe.

The report, released this morning, states: "The clinical team had resigned and the practice was reliant on locum GPs and nurses.

"Substantial and frequent staff shortages and poor management of agency or locum staff increased the risk of harm to people who used the service."

Inspectors also found that staff were unsure who had responsibility for the running of the service, and that appropriate recruitment checks had not been undertaken prior to staff being employed including Data and Barring service checks.

There was insufficient evidence to show that staff had the skills and knowledge to deliver "effective care and treatment", the report said.

There were also insufficient processes in place to ensure the "proper and safe management of medicines" and end of life care was "not being effectively coordinated".

The health watchdog has now placed six urgent conditions on the health centre to ensure the safety of its patients.

The conditions are:

• A restriction on new patients being registered;
• Action to clear the existing backlog of repeat prescription requests, medication reviews and correspondence;
• The introduction of a system to ensure repeat prescription requests, medication reviews and correspondence are reviewed and dealt with;
• An urgent review of patient demand to determine the correct level of service provision and resource;
• The provision of enough clinical staffing and appointments to deliver a safe service; and
• The introduction of effective clinical governance systems so that all patients can access timely and safe care.

The CQC will continue to monitor the practice, working closely with NHS England and Swale's Clinical Commissioning Group to ensure patients are able to access a GP.