Archived: InHealth Diagnostics & Treatment - Royal South Hants Hospital

Updated 1 October 2018

InHealth Limited provides an Ear Nose and Throat (ENT) and Audiology Hearing Aid Service at the Royal South Hants Hospital under an NHS contract. Other diagnostic and screening services take place at the location via a mobile unit on an adhoc basis.

Services are accessed via the NHS Choose and Book system and referrals triaged by Inhealth patient referral centre. During our visit we spent time in the Ear Nose and Throat (ENT) and Audiology department. There were ENT and audiology appointments on the day of our visit, but none for Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Scans. MRI scans were only performed at the location on an adhoc basis when required.

For ENT patients, the service was run by a GP with Specialist Interest (GPwSI) with the support of ENT specialists. A nurse practitioner ran Aural Care Services which included micro suctioning of ear wax.

The service is registered with CQC to provide the regulated activities: diagnostic and screening procedures; and treatment of disease, disorder. The types of services provided are doctors consultation service and doctors treatment service. This location was one of three in the Southampton area which are managed by the same provider and staff work across all three sites. For this inspection we visited the location at:

InHealth

Royal South Hants Hospital

Brinton’s Terrace, Graham Road, Southampton,

SO14 0YG

The ENT service is provided six days a week across three locations Mondays to Saturdays. Patients are able to be seen at any of the three locations. All staff employed by the service work across all locations. All locations are open on weekdays to see patients who have audiology appointments.

The Royal South Hants Hospital location is open from 8am to 6pm Monday to Saturdays. Appointments for ENT services are available during these opening hours.

We carried out an announced inspection on 23 August 2018. The inspection team consisted of a CQC inspector and a GP specialist advisor.

Prior to the inspection, we reviewed a range of information provided from the pre-inspection information request and any notifications we had received from the service.

During our visit:

• We spoke with the registered manager and staff.
• We looked at equipment and rooms used for providing treatment.
• We reviewed records and documents.
• We reviewed comment cards
• Observed patient and staff interactions whilst patients were waiting for appointments

To get to the heart of patients’ experiences of care and treatment, we always ask the following five questions:

• Is it safe?
• Is it effective?
• Is it caring?
• Is it responsive to people’s needs?
• Is it well-led?

These questions therefore formed the framework for the areas we looked at during the inspection.

Updated 1 October 2018

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 23 August 2018 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 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.

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 the service was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

InHealth Limited provides an Ear Nose and Throat (ENT) and Audiology Hearing Aid Service at the Royal South Hants Hospital under an NHS contract for people aged 16 years and older. Services are accessed via the NHS Choose and Book system and referrals triaged by Inhealth patient referral centre.

The service is registered with CQC to provide the regulated activities: diagnostic and screening procedures; and treatment of disease, disorder. The types of services provided are doctors consultation service and doctors treatment service.

At the time of our inspection a registered manager was in place. 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.

We received nine completed CQC comment cards from patients who used the service. Feedback was very positive about the service delivered at the service.

Our key findings were:

• Care and treatment was planned and delivered in a way that was intended to ensure patient's safety and welfare.
• All treatment rooms were well-organised and well-equipped.
• Staff told us the service was for people over 16 years of age only.
• Clinicians assessed patients according to appropriate guidance and standards, such as those issued by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.
• Staff were up to date with current guidelines and were led by a proactive management team.
• Staff maintained the necessary skills and competence to support the needs of patients.
• There were effective systems in place to check all equipment had been serviced regularly.
• The provider was aware of, and complied with, the requirements of the Duty of Candour.
• The provider had an effective system for ensuring the identity of patients who attended the service.
• Risks to patients were well-managed. For example, there were effective systems in place to reduce the risk and spread of infection.
• Patients were provided with information about their health and received advice and guidance to support them to live healthier lives.
• Information about how to complain was available and easy to understand.
• The provider had appropriate governance systems in place to promote safe, effective and well led service provision.