VHK Women's Health Clinic

On this page

• Overview
• Assessing needs
• Delivering evidence-based care and treatment
• How staff, teams and services work together
• Supporting people to live healthier lives
• Monitoring and improving outcomes
• Consent to care and treatment

The 2 doctors who owned the service ensured outcomes for people were consistent and better than expected. Doctors were committed to working collaboratively with other services to ensure joined up treatment and care for patients. They took a holistic approach to treatment planning and ensured referrals to other service were completed in a timely way. They considered all areas of a patient’s lifestyle and took a targeted and proactive approach to health promotion. The 2 doctors who owned the service ensured patients were empowered to give informed consent. Staff discussed treatment options in detail and patients were given time to consider the information and their options.

This service scored 96 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

All patient feedback was positive. Patients reported they felt the service went over and above other services to provide the best quality treatment to manage their health. Patients reported the care and treatment they received significantly improved their quality of life.

The 2 doctors who owned the service told us in detail about the comprehensive approach to assessing the needs of patients. The doctors were passionate about providing the best and most up to date evidence-based practice to make sure patients had the best outcomes. Before providing treatment, the 2 doctors who owned the service ensured they had enough knowledge of the patient’s health. When patients booked appointments, they were required to complete a questionnaire about their symptoms and medical history. When prescribing medication, the 2 doctors who owned the service ensured they followed appropriate guidance provided by British Menopause Society. Staff ensured patients’ needs were routinely reviewed at 3 months and then every 6 -12 months. However, patients were able to email or phone the service if they did have any queries or concerns.

The 2 doctors who owned the service recognised the importance of having sufficient time to discuss a patient’s health. They provided 45-to-60-minute appointments to ensure the patient received care or treatment that had the best possible outcomes. The 2 doctors who owned the service understood the importance of discussing lifestyle aspects such as nutrition and exercise during the consultation. They had received specific training to support them to engage with patients with additional needs such as people with a learning disability and autistic people. The 2 doctors considered during assessment how treatment might affect those with protected characteristics such as the impact of HRT for those with darker coloured skin where pigmentation could be affected.

Patients told us the treatments they received had a very positive effect on their overall health and wellbeing. Patients were informed about the evidence their treatment was based on and were aware this was based on the most recent research and development.

The 2 doctors who owned the service delivered highly effective evidence-based care. This was recorded in each patient’s notes which included the treatment prescribed and dates and times for follow up. Staff gave additional guidance when required. For example, when a patient had treatment and were unsure if they had side effects, they received a prompt response and the offer of an appointment to discuss this. Doctors undertook regular case reviews to ensure each patient’s needs were being fully met.

The service had systems and processes in place to ensure the 2 doctors who owned the service were up to date with national legislation, evidence-based good practice and required standards. We saw evidence prescribing and patient safety notifications were discussed at governance meetings. Both doctors regularly attended many appropriate training events including West Midland Menopause Society Education Event, Osteoporosis Education event and with the British Menopause Society. Shared learning was one of the services ethos and we saw evidence the 2 doctors who owned the service attended frequent meetings to discuss new guidelines to ensure best practice was adhered to. The service regularly took part in quality improvement activities, and we saw evidence of developments in the way the service delivered care.

Patients gave examples of how staff had supported them to go back to their GP for treatment which could be prescribed by the NHS. They liked the flexibility this gave them and appreciated staff working well with other professionals as it improved the service they received.

The 2 doctors who owned the service were committed to working collaboratively to ensure patients received high levels of care. They told us they recognised the importance of working closely with other teams and services. They had built up relationships with GP practices in the local area. For example, they had some people use their service following their GP recommending them to attend. Their aim was to continue to work alongside other teams and services to further improve the knowledge and education around women’s health. The 2 doctors who owned the service had developed useful links with specialists in osteoporosis and physiotherapists to help support and compliment the treatment they provided.

Partners gave extremely positive feedback about working with the staff in this service. The 2 doctors who owned the service had expertise and knowledge which they were happy to share to benefit patients and improve women’s health care. This included feedback from physiotherapists and other health professionals who had worked closely with the service to gain good outcomes for women.

The 2 doctors who owned the service worked very closely together and held regular meetings to share and discuss information. They worked with a range of teams and services to ensure continuity of care. For example, after a consultation with a patient, the service wrote to the patient’s GP with consent. They shared what was discussed, what actions took place and suggested medication changes if appropriate. They received updates from the online pharmacy every month about any drug shortages. This helped the service to provide patients with appropriate alternative medication in a timely manner. The service also worked alongside GP trainees to provide them with up-to-date evidence around women’s health.

Patients told us how this service had encouraged them to live healthier lives. For example, one person had a very positive experience with the medication she was prescribed and had joined a gym following the consultation she had. Another person had attended for an appointment, and we saw evidence that nutrition was discussed, and the service reflected on this afterwards. Patients told us that the doctors at this service took a holistic approach to assessments, ensuring all areas of health and well-being were identified to promote a healthier lifestyle overall.

The 2 doctors who owned the service were consistent in supporting people to live healthier lives. They saw this as part of the treatment they provided. Staff took a targeted approach, so advice was tailored to the needs of each individual. This was followed up at each appointment so the 2 doctors who owned the service and patients could understand what worked well and additional guidance could be discussed if needed.

The 2 doctors who owned the service encouraged and supported patients to manage their own health, care, and wellbeing needs. After an appointment, the 2 doctors who owned the service provided the patient with a detailed letter of the consultation which included health and wellbeing guidance such as sleep, exercise, and mental health support. The 2 doctors who owned the service recognised the importance of using an integrated approach to ensure peoples overall health and wellbeing are looked at. Information, guidance, and advice was readily available on the website.

Patients received outcomes which were positive, consistent, and regularly exceeded their expectations. They were so happy with the support provided many had recommended the service to friends and family.

The 2 doctors who owned the service were actively engaged in monitoring treatment to improve quality and outcomes. They followed up patients who had transferred treatment back to their GP. Leaders took every opportunity to be involved in bench marking and peer review. They were proactive in seeking out opportunities for development and to be recognised by credible external bodies such as the British Menopause Society. Staff recognised people from diverse backgrounds might need different approaches to achieve a good outcome. For example, hormone replacement therapy might be right for some patients while others might prefer a different treatment.

The 2 doctors who owned the service had robust approaches to monitoring patients care and treatment and their outcomes. They had a set programme of clinical audits and reflected on these afterwards. The audits looked at different areas including monitoring of different types of treatment such as HRT and prescribing We saw evidence they completed audits of prescribing twice a year. One prescribing audit we looked at found the prescribing was completed in line with national guidance and best practice. Another audit we looked at was prescribing of testosterone. The audit looked at 11 patients who started on testosterone over an 18-month period. The audit found all prescriptions were issued in line with British Menopause Society guidelines. Audits were updated whenever changes in national guidance for menopause treatment changed. There was clear evidence of actions to improve quality after each audit. The 2 doctors who owned the service discussed audits and plans for improvement with their external supervisors and this meant continuous improvements were made to patients care and treatment.

Patients had each stage of their treatment explained in detail. They liked having time to think about treatment options before making an informed choice. Staff discussed consent with them, and patients could choose which treatments best suited their needs and lifestyle. There was clear information on the service’s website with regards to how the service worked and what costs applied.

The 2 doctors who owned the service ensured practices around consent and the recording of this was actively monitored and reviewed. This meant they were clear about how people were making decisions about treatment and revisited this with each patient before treatment was prescribed. They gave patients time to reflect on the treatments offered so they could make an informed choice on what was most appropriate for individual needs. The 2 doctors who owned the service had received training in the Mental Capacity Act and understood the principals involved in decision making.

The 2 doctors who owned the service had systems in place to monitor how patients gave consent for treatment. This included a written format or verbal consent for those who could not sign a form. They included details on their website on how a patient could contact them with any enquiries. Information about the cost of the consultation was known in advance and paid for before the appointment started. The service had a chaperone policy in place and patients were offered a chaperone when carrying out examinations. We saw posters displayed in the service informing patients of this. The 2 doctors who owned the service who carried out chaperone duties were trained for the role and had received a disclosure and barring (DBS) check.