We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection of Berkshire Health Limited based in Reading on 18 October 2017 to ask the service the following key questions; Are services safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led?
Our findings were:
Are services safe?
We found that this service was not providing safe care in accordance with the relevant regulations.
Are services effective?
We found that this service was providing effective care in accordance with the relevant regulations.
Are services caring?
We found that this service was providing caring services in accordance with the relevant regulations.
Are services responsive?
We found that this service was providing responsive care in accordance with the relevant regulations.
Are services well-led?
We found that this service was providing well-led care in accordance with the relevant regulations.
Background to Berkshire Health Limited
We carried out this 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 Berkshire Health Limited was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008.
Berkshire Health Limited is the parent company of The Forbury Clinic which was founded in 2011 and has two sites, 'The Forbury Clinic - Kendrick Road' & 'The Forbury Clinic - Craven Road' both situated close to the centre of Reading, Berkshire. This inspection was of The Forbury Clinic – Kendrick Road. As The Forbury Clinic has grown, its specialties’ covered have expanded to include Urology, Spinal Surgery, Plastic Surgery, Gynaecology, Physiotherapy, Ear, nose and throat Surgery, Eye Surgery, Oncology, Medical Imaging, Antenatal Scanning, Hand Surgery, Bariatric Surgery, General Surgery, Speech Therapy and Ophthalmology.
The Forbury Clinic is a group of surgeons and medical professionals who aim to provide the highest standard of care and treatment within comfortable and spacious surroundings. They operate from two buildings; 11 Kendrick Road and 23 Craven Road, both purposefully refurbished to provide consulting, diagnostic and treatment over a variety of specialty areas of medicine and surgery.
The consultants hold substantive posts at NHS hospitals and appear on the General Medical Council (GMC) Specialist Register. The service is also supported by a team of specialist nurses, healthcare professionals and a team of administrators.
All registered services for this inspection are provided from:
- Berkshire Health Limited, 11 Kendrick Road, Reading , RG1 5DU
This service is registered with Care Quality Commission (CQC) under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 in respect of some, but not all, of the services it provides. There are some exemptions from regulation by CQC which relate to particular types of service and these are set out in Schedule 2 of The Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014.
The premises at Berkshire Health Limited consisted of a three storey building. The ground floor consisted of a reception area, one consulting room, a treatment room, a further room used for imaging, a sluice and a patient changing area. There were three further consulting rooms on the second floor alongside the practice manager’s office. The third floor was for administration staff.
The quality assurance manager was the registered manager. (A registered manager is someone who has been selected by a provider to be legally responsible for managing regulated activity from a provider location).
The service was open between 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday. Out of regular clinic hours patients were advised to contact their GP or the local hospital if required.
As part of our inspection we asked for CQC comment cards to be completed by patients prior to our inspection. All of the 46 patient comment cards we received were positive about the service experienced. Patients said they felt the Berkshire Health Limited offered an excellent service and staff were efficient, helpful and caring. They said staff treated them with dignity and respect and the care they received exceeded their expectations. Patients stated they felt all the staff took an interest in them as a person and overall impression was one of wanting to help patients.
Our key findings were:
- There was an effective system in place for reporting and recording significant events.
- Procedures were in place for monitoring and managing risks to patient and staff safety. For example, there were arrangements to prevent the spread of infection and compliance with these was monitored. However, the provider did not receive patient safety and medicine alerts.
- Staff assessed patients’ needs and delivered care in line with current evidence based guidance.
- Patients received clear explanations about their proposed treatment, costs, benefits and risks and were involved in making decisions about their care.
- Staff were supported to receive training appropriate to their role and to keep up to date with developments and best practice.
- All written and verbal feedback from patients told us they had very positive experiences of the service and felt they were treated with respect, compassion and dignity.
- Treatment plans were tailored to individual needs and according to the best options for treatment at that time.
- Patients told us they had flexibility and choice to arrange appointments in line with other commitments. Patients also commented that they were offered cancellation appointments if these were available.
- Information about services and how to complain was available and easy to understand.
- There was a clear staffing structure and staff were aware of their own roles and responsibilities.