The Meriden Advanced Imaging Centre

Updated 9 July 2019

The Meriden Advanced Imaging Centre (MAIC) is operated by United Medical Enterprises Group (UME). The service opened in 2006. It is a private service in Coventry, Warwickshire. The service primarily serves the communities of Coventry and Rugby. It also accepts patient referrals from outside this area.

The MAIC is a joint venture investment between General Healthcare Group (GHG), the largest private hospital operator in the UK and United Medical Enterprises Group (UME) who manage, develop, commission and operate hospitals and healthcare projects in the UK and the Middle East. UME operates a sister company to MAIC in Harley Street, London and employs 50 staff in total, the team at MAIC are all employed by UME who have managed the MAIC since its inception in 2006.

The service has had a registered manager in post since 2018.

The service provides magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computerised tomography (CT) scanning, to adults aged 18 and above.

Updated 9 July 2019

The Meriden Advanced Imaging Centre is operated by United Medical Enterprises Group (UME).

The service provides diagnostic imaging through magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computerised tomography (CT) scanning only.

The Meriden Advanced Imaging Centre registered with the CQC in 2011. It was last inspected in February 2013 under the previous CQC methodology, but not rated. At the time, the service met the standards it was measured against.

We inspected this service under our independent single speciality diagnostic framework and using our comprehensive inspection methodology. We carried out an unannounced inspection on 7 May 2019.

To get to the heart of patients’ experiences of care and treatment, we ask the same five questions of all services: are they safe, effective, caring, responsive to people's needs, and well-led? Where we have a legal duty to do so we rate services’ performance against each key question as outstanding, good, requires improvement or inadequate.

Throughout the inspection, we took account of what people told us and how the provider understood and complied with the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

The main service provided was diagnostic MRI and CT scans.

Services we rate

We have not previously rated this service. At this inspection we rated it as Good overall.

We found the following areas of good practice:

• The service provided mandatory training in key skills to all staff and made sure everyone completed it.

• Staff understood how to protect patients from abuse and the service worked well with other agencies to do so.

• The service had suitable premises and equipment and looked after them well.

• The service had appropriate arrangements in place to manage risks to patients and visitors.

• Staff kept detailed records of patients’ care and treatment. Records were clear, up-to-date, and easily available to all staff providing care.

• The service managed patient safety incidents well, and staff recognised and reported them appropriately.

• The service provided care and treatment based on national guidance and evidence of its effectiveness.

• Staff cared for patients with compassion.

• The service planned and provided services in a way that met the needs of local people.

• People could access the service when they needed it.

• Managers at all levels in the service had the right skills and abilities to run a service providing high-quality sustainable care.

• The registered manager across the service promoted a positive culture that supported and valued staff, creating a sense of common purpose based on shared values.

However,

• Agency staff’s equipment competencies were not formally recorded. This was rectified during the inspection period.

Following this inspection, we told the provider that it should make an improvement, even though a regulation had not been breached, to help the service improve.

Nigel Acheson

Deputy Chief Inspector of Hospitals

Updated 9 July 2019

The provision of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and computerised tomography (CT) scanning, which are classified under the diagnostic imaging core service, was the only service provided at this service.

We rated this service as good because it was safe, caring, responsive to people’s needs and well-led. We do not currently collect sufficient evidence to enable us to rate the effective key question.