A GP practice has been given a clean bill of health just months after a national watchdog gave it a formal warning over cleanliness.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspected Consett Medical Centre last December and found it was failing to meet national standards on cleanliness and infection control.

It was warned that enforcement action – which could range up to suspension of services and prosecution – could follow if it did not improve.

Inspectors recently made a second unannounced visit to the centre and found that it now meets the standard.

The original inspection report said that apart from the cleanliness issue, the centre met most other required standards.

The report on the second inspection said: “We carried out a visit on 10 March 2014, observed how people were being cared for, talked with staff and were accompanied by a specialist advisor.

“We found the provider had made improvements in relation to the cleanliness of the practice.

“We saw a nurse had been appointed as the lead for infection control and a formal policy and monitoring system had been implemented.”

The inspectors also said that unclean toys in the waiting room and unclean baby mats in consulting rooms had been removed and damaged chairs re-upholstered since the first visit.

There was no spillage kit found in December but the follow-up visit found that there now was one and that there were suitable procedures for the sharps box, which holds things such as used needles, a concern on the first visit.

Concerns over hygiene standards, clinical waste bins and training in infection control for all centre staff had all been addressed, it added.

A spokeswoman for the centre’s Patient Panel said the centre had made improvements following the original inspection and that it backed the practice.

“The Patient Panel can confirm that the follow-up inspection took place and that the problems highlighted in the first inspection have been addressed.

“The Medical Centre poses no risk to patients attending it regarding cleanliness and infection control. The Panel fully supports the activities of the Medical Centre in providing the best possible care for the 20,000 patients that it serves.”