This service is rated as
Good
overall.
The key questions are rated as:
Are services safe? – Requires Improvement
Are services effective? – Good
Are services caring? – Good
Are services responsive? – Good
Are services well-led? – Good
We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at The Interface Clinic on 13 September 2022 as part of our inspection programme. We inspected the branch sites on 9 September and 15 September 2022.
The Interface Clinic is an independent provider of services and provides treatments for skin and subcutaneous lesions requiring surgical management under local anaesthesia.
The practice manager is the registered manager. A registered manager is a person who is registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
Our key findings were:
- There was an effective system in place for reporting and recording significant events.
- Risks to patients were not always assessed and monitored.
- There was a system in place to receive safety alerts issued by government departments such as the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
- Staff had the skills, knowledge, and experience to deliver effective care and treatment. Staff assessed patients’ needs and delivered care in line with current evidence-based guidance.
- To ensure and monitor the quality of the service, the service completed audits which showed the effectiveness of the service.
- Information about services and how to complain was available and easy to understand.
- The provider was aware of and complied with the requirements of the Duty of Candour.
- Patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity, and respect and they were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment.
- The service had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs.
- The service held a range of policies and procedures which were in place to govern activity; staff were able to access these policies.
- We saw there was leadership within the service and the team worked together in a cohesive, supported, and open manner.
- The service proactively sought feedback from patients, which it acted on.
The areas where the provider must make improvements as they are in breach of regulations are:
- Ensure that care and treatment is provided in a safe way for patients.
There were areas where the provider should make improvements are:
- Consistently maintain recruitment and immunisation records for staff.
- Undertake infection prevention and control audits for both main and branch sites.
- Undertake regular checks for emergency equipment and calibration of clinical equipment.
- Undertake regular appraisals for clinical and non-clinical staff and consistently maintain training records for staff.
- Consider holding formal meetings.
Dr Sean O’Kelly BSc MB ChB MSc DCH FRCA
Chief Inspector of Hospitals and Interim Chief Inspector of Primary Medical Services and Integrated Care