The Care Quality Commission
  • Doctor
  • Independent doctor

Blakenall Village Centre

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

79 Thames Road, Blakenhall, Walsall, WS3 1LZ (01922) 504991

Provided and run by:
Humanitas Healthcare Services Ltd

All Inspections

6 July 2023

During a monthly review of our data

We carried out a review of the data available to us about Blakenall Village Centre on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.

This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.

If you have concerns about Blakenall Village Centre, you can give feedback on this service.

26 June 2019

During a routine inspection

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Blakenall Village Centre, Walsall 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.

At our last inspection in May 2018, we found that the service was not providing safe or well led care because:

  • Risk assessments in relation to safety issues in the areas of the building used by the service, and the range of emergency medicines available to staff had not been completed.
  • The process used to check the expiry dates of single use items was not effective.
  • The programme of quality improvement activity and review of the effectiveness and appropriateness of the care provided needed to be further developed.
  • A formalised system for undertaking recruitment checks on staff who worked on an adhoc basis was not in place and relevant recruitment information had not been obtained.

We asked the provider to make improvements regarding the above issues. We checked these areas as part of this comprehensive inspection and found they had been resolved.

The Medical Director is the registered manager. 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 comment cards at the time of the inspection. All of the responses were positive about their experience at the service. Feedback on the care and treatment provided described the care received as being excellent, staff were helpful, friendly and caring, and all information was fully explained.

Our key findings were:

  • People had access to and received detailed and clear information about the proposed treatment to enable them to make an informed decision. People were offered appointments at a time convenient to them.
  • Staff had access to information they needed to assess and treat patients in a timely and accessible way. There was evidence to support that the service operated a safe, effective and timely referral process.
  • The way in which care was delivered was reviewed to ensure it was delivered according to best practice guidance and staff were well supported to update their knowledge through training.
  • There were effective procedures in place for monitoring and managing risk to people and staff safety.
  • The service had clearly defined processes and systems in place to keep people safe and safeguarded from abuse.
  • There were clear responsibilities, roles and systems for accountability to support good governance and management.
  • The service had introduced a range of audits, including return rate for samples post vasectomy and histology results, as well as infection rates. The provider continued to share their results on an annual basis with the Association of Surgeons in Primary Care (ASPC).
  • The service supported overseas projects. They had participated in World Vasectomy Day, working with an organisation to start contraception education. The service supported the British Society for Hand Surgery (BSHH) programme for hand surgery. This programme ensures local consultant support and education for doctors carrying out hand surgery outside of hospitals.
  • The integration of the patient record system with the NHS electronic system had enabled information to be shared more efficiently between the provider and NHS GPs.
  • The provider was embracing technology and had investigated in a telephony system to divert calls to the office onto the nursing director’s mobile telephone. Patient satisfaction surveys could be completed electronically via the service website, the information collated and displayed as pie charts.

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

3 May 2018

During a routine inspection

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 3 May 2018 to ask the service the following key questions; Are services safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led?

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 not 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.

Humanitas Healthcare Services Ltd operates from Blakenall Village Centre, Walsall. The services they provide for both NHS and private patients include:

  • Vasectomy
  • Carpel tunnel decompression
  • Trigger finger release
  • Soft tissue and joint injections
  • Excision of clinically benign lumps
  • Nail surgery

Dr A Benjamin is the registered manager for Humanitas Healthcare Services Ltd. 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 spoke with two patients following the inspection. The feedback demonstrated positive outcomes for patients. Patients spoke highly of the care and treatment they had received from the clinic. They described staff as friendly and caring. They also commented that staff put them at their ease during the procedure. Staff we spoke with told us they were well supported in their work and were proud to be part of a team which provided a good quality service.

Our key findings were:

  • Patients received detailed and clear information about their proposed treatment which enabled them to make an informed decision.
  • Patients were offered convenient, timely and flexible appointments.
  • Staff helped patients be involved in decisions about their care. Patients were provided with written pre and post treatment literature. The provider did not have a written recruitment and selection policy and procedure. They had not obtained the appropriate staff checks in accordance with the regulatory requirements for staff who worked occasionally.
  • There was an effective system to manage infection prevention and control (IPC).
  • There were limited systems to assess, monitor and manage risks to patient safety. Risk assessments in relation to safety issues for the building and the range of emergency medicines available to staff had not been completed.
  • There was a system and procedure for recording and acting on significant events and incidents.
  • There were limited processes for managing risks, issues and performance. Health and safety risk assessments had not been completed to identify hazards and mitigate potential risks at the site.
  • There was little evidence to support that clinical audit had a positive impact on quality of care and outcomes for patients.
  • Information about the range of procedures offered by the provider was not up to date and accurate.

We identified regulations that were not being met and the provider must:

  • Establish effective systems and processes to ensure good governance in accordance with the fundamental standards of care.
  • Ensure recruitment procedures are established and operated effectively to ensure only fit and proper persons are employed.

You can see full details of the regulations not being met at the end of this report.

There were areas where the provider could make improvements and should:

  • Implement an effective process to ensure the identification of significant events.
  • Review the process for annual appraisals and development plans.
  • Review the process used to check the expiry dates of single use items.
  • Review and update the consent form to include the recent updates in guidance.
  • Update the information about the range of procedures offered by the provider so that accurately reflects what is offered.