Thornley House Medical Centre

Updated 26 March 2020

We carried out this announced inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the service was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Manchester Circumcision Clinic is an independent circumcision service that provides circumcisions for patients aged from infancy through to adulthood for cultural and religious reasons under local anaesthetic. The service also provides post procedural reviews of patients who have undergone circumcision.

The service operates from Thornley House Medical Centre, Thornley Street, Hyde, Cheshire, SK14 1JY. This is a two storey, purpose built GP practice which is easily accessible for any patient with mobility issues and those bringing children to the clinic. For example, it has level floor surfaces and parking available. Manchester Circumcision Clinic operates from a treatment room located on the ground floor for delivery of services. They also have access to a consultation room which is used to discuss the procedure with parents and patients and provide further information. In addition, the clinic also has access to an additional treatment room for patients to use during the recovery period. Patients and their parents can access other areas of the medical centre such as waiting areas and toilets.

The service is delivered by one GP and one health care assistant who is present during every procedure. The GP is trained and experienced in minor surgery and carries out the procedure on a regular basis. The clinic also employs a further three health care assistants to support parents and patients on arrival at the clinic, they also manage bookings for the clinic and record on a clinical system.

The clinic operates weekly from 9am on a Sunday and provides appointments to meet demand up to approximately 12 procedures per clinic.

Updated 26 March 2020

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Thornley House Medical Centre (also known as Manchester Circumcision Clinic) on 1 March 2020 as part of our inspection programme.

Manchester Circumcision Clinic is an independent circumcision service that provides circumcisions for patients aged from infancy through to adulthood for cultural and religious reasons under local anaesthetic. The service also provides post procedural reviews of patients who have undergone circumcision.

The service gathers feedback from parents and children where they are old enough to monitor and improve the service. This is done via a survey completed post treatment and the results are continually collated and reviewed. Results to date (653 survey completed) showed that 100% of respondents were treated with respect and 99% would recommend the service.

In addition, we received feedback from 17 parents. These were all very positive about the care and treatment received and thanked staff for the time taken to explain the procedure and aftercare.

Our key findings were:

• The service was offered on a private, fee paying basis only and was accessible to people who chose to use it.
• Circumcision procedures were safely managed and there were effective levels of patient support and aftercare. Care was taken to create a calming environment within the treatment room. Parents, as part the aftercare were also provided with liquid paracetamol and antiseptic cream.
• The service had developed materials for parents/service users which explained the procedure and outlined clearly the recovery process.
• The service had systems in place to identify, investigate and learn from incidents relating to the safety of patients and staff members.
• There were systems, processes and practices in place to safeguard patients from abuse.
• Information for service users was comprehensive and accessible.
• Patient outcomes were evaluated, analysed and reviewed as part of quality improvement processes.
• Staff had the relevant skills, knowledge and experience to deliver the care and treatment offered by the service.
• The clinic shared relevant information with others such as the patient’s GP and when required and safeguarding bodies.
• There was a clear leadership structure, with governance frameworks which supported the delivery of quality care.
• Communication between staff was effective and we and we saw regular meetings took place.
• The service encouraged and valued feedback from service users via in-house surveys and the website.

Dr Rosie Benneyworth BM BS BMedSci MRCGPChief Inspector of Primary Medical Services and Integrated Care