Archived: Woodgate Dialysis Unit

Updated 25 May 2023

Woodgate Dialysis Unit is operated by Fresenius Medical Care Renal Services Limited. The service opened in 2009. The service is contracted by a local NHS trust for the provision of outpatient renal dialysis to their patients over 18 years old in the Birmingham area. They had 24 dialysis stations, including four isolation rooms and had provided 12,431 dialysis sessions in the last 12 months.

The clinic manager was the CQC registered manager and had been since 2017.

The service is registered with the CQC to provide the following regulated activities: Treatment of disease, disorder or injury.

Updated 25 May 2023

This was the first time we rated this service We rated it as good because:

• The service had enough staff to care for patients and keep them safe. Staff had training in key skills and understood how to protect patients from abuse. Staff assessed risks to patients, acted on them and kept good care records. The service managed safety incidents well and learned lessons from them.
• Staff provided good care and treatment. Managers monitored the effectiveness of the service and made sure staff were competent. Staff worked well together for the benefit of patients, advised them on how to lead healthier lives, supported them to make decisions about their care, and had access to good information. Key services were available to suit patients' needs.
• Staff treated patients with compassion and kindness, respected their privacy and dignity, took account of their individual needs, and helped them understand their conditions. They provided emotional support to patients, families and carers.
• The service planned care to meet the needs of local people, took account of patients’ individual needs, and made it easy for people to give feedback. People could access the service when they needed it and did not have to wait too long for treatment.
• Leaders ran services well using reliable information systems and supported staff to develop their skills. Staff understood the service’s vision and values, and how to apply them in their work. Staff felt respected, supported and valued. They were focused on the needs of patients receiving care. Staff were clear about their roles and accountabilities. The service engaged well with patients and the community to plan and manage services and all staff were committed to improving services continually.

However:

• There were inconsistent approaches to managing infection risks. Nursing staff did not always apply the asepsis principles and we observed some staff not washing their hands before or after patient contact.
• Nursing staff did not always check the patient identification at the point of administration of medicines.

Updated 25 May 2023

This was the first time we rated this service. We rated it as good.

See the summary above for details.