Watford Clinic

Updated 21 July 2021

Watford Clinic is operated by Ultrasound Plus Ltd. The service provides diagnostic imaging through ultrasound scanning only. The service provides diagnostic pregnancy, gynaecological, musculoskeletal and general ultrasound scans for private patients aged 18 and above in the Hertfordshire, Essex, London and surrounding areas. The service also provides diagnostic ultrasounds from their two satellite clinics in the following locations:

• Brentwood, Essex.
• Docklands, London.
• Harborne Road, Birmingham.

The service has a registered manager and was last inspected by the CQC in May 2019. The service was previously placed into special measures following the last inspection in May 2019. We also issued the provider with four requirement notices.

At this inspection of the service we found some improvements since the last inspection. The service is no longer rated as inadequate for any of the key questions or core services. Therefore, the decision was made to exit the service from special measures. However, due to the repeated regulatory breaches we issued a warning notice under Section 29 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 on the 3 June 2021 and told the service it must improve by 2 July 2021. We will continue to monitor the service closely and may take further action, in line with our enforcement procedures if compliance is not achieved.

Updated 21 July 2021

Our rating of this location improved. We rated it as requires improvement because:

• The environment was well maintained but it was not always suitable for all types of care and procedures being provided. The service did have some processes for reporting, investigating incidents but there was a lack of evidence of lessons learnt being shared with staff.
• The systems and processes in place to ensure policies and guidelines were reviewed was not effective. The service did have some processes in place to monitor the effectiveness of care but did not use the findings to improve them. The service did not always make sure staff were competent for their roles.
• There was not an effective system for learning from complaints.
• There were some systems and processes in place to maintain the overall governance of the service, but these were not fully embedded. There was no evidence of that risks and the mitigating actions were discussed with the team. There was lack of systematic approach to continuously improve by learning from when things went well or wrong.

However:

• The service had enough staff to care for patients and keep them safe. Staff had training in key skills, understood how to protect patients from abuse, and managed safety well. Staff managed clinical waste well. Staff assessed risks to patients, acted on them and kept good care records. Staff understood their roles and responsibilities to raise concerns and report safety incidents.
• Staff worked well together for the benefit of patients.
• Staff treated patients with compassion and kindness, respected their privacy and dignity, took account of their individual needs, and helped them understand their conditions. They provided emotional support to patients.
• The service planned care to meet the needs of local people, took account of patients’ individual needs, and made it easy for people to give feedback. People could access the service when they needed it and did not have to wait too long for treatment.
• The manager did have the right skills and knowledge to run a service. The service engaged well with patients. Staff felt respected, supported and valued.

Updated 21 July 2021

Our rating of this location improved. We rated it as requires improvement.