• Hospital
  • Independent hospital

South East Eye Surgeons LLP @ Eastbourne District

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

Eastbourne District General Hospital, Kings Drive, Eastbourne, East Sussex, BN21 2UD 0843 224 9677

Provided and run by:
South East Eye Surgeons LLP

Important: This service was previously registered at a different address - see old profile

Latest inspection summary

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Background to this inspection

Updated 4 October 2021

SOUTH EAST EYE SURGEONS LLP is a consultant-led partnership of ophthalmic specialists, who all have substantive posts with a local NHS trust but provide private services through the limited liability partnership (LLP). An LLP is a business arrangement commonly used in professional practice, in which each owner (partner) is not legally responsible for another’s misconduct or negligence.

The regulated activities were managed and delivered at one NHS hospital and delivered at another NHS hospital, these will be referred to as host hospitals throughout this report. In addition, consultations and diagnostics were also delivered at four other locations. Outpatient consultations were provided as part of the assessment before and after ophthalmic surgery. These consultations did not form part of this inspection and are not represented in this report.

The service provided elective ophthalmic services to private patients aged 18 and over, who had been referred by their optometrist or had self-referred with visual problems. The only procedure performed was intra-ocular surgery to remove cataracts and replace them with implanted plastic lenses, usually under local anaesthesia.

The service primarily served the communities of East Sussex and the surrounding areas. It also accepted patients’ referrals from outside this area.

The service comprised eight ophthalmic specialists.

The registered manager and nominated individual was Mr Sharam Mehdi Zadeh Kashani, who had acted as the LLP lead since 2017.

Once accepted for surgery, patients were seen and managed using the same protocols, procedures and documentation as the host hospitals. They were treated at the end of the host hospital theatre list, which was usually conducted at the eye day case unit in the host hospital. Under a service level agreement with SOUTH EAST EYE SURGEONS LLP, the host hospital provided all the facilities and support staff required as well as prescribed medication and medical devices such as intra-ocular replacement lenses.

In addition to the service agreements with the host trust, the LLP had contracted with a medical business management company to facilitate some aspects of the service such as governance processes and policy documents.

The host hospital facilities included operating theatres, consultation rooms and diagnostic facilities.

These aspects are not included in this report because the host hospitals are a separate registered provider.

Services provided to SOUTH EAST EYE SURGEONS LLP under service level agreement:

Patient documentation and computerised record facilities.

Ophthalmic theatre services including nursing, medical and ancillary staff, medication and medical devices.

Clinical (including sharps) and non-clinical waste removal.

Catering and laundry services.

Maintenance of facilities and medical equipment, including business continuity provisions.

SOUTH EAST EYE SURGEONS LLP is registered with the CQC to provide the following regulated activities:

Diagnostic and screening procedures.

Surgical procedures.

Treatment of disease, disorder or injury

Overall inspection

Good

Updated 4 October 2021

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. The service controlled infection risk well. Staff kept good care records and managed medicines well. The service managed safety incidents well and learned lessons from them.

Staff provided good care and treatment and gave patients pain relief when they needed it. The registered manager monitored the effectiveness of the service and made sure staff were competent. Staff supported patients to make decisions about their care, and patients had access to information to inform their decisions.

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.

Staff felt respected, supported and valued. They were focused on the needs of patients receiving care. Staff were clear about their roles and accountabilities.

However:

Not all consultants were up to date with mandatory training. However, training was provided by the host trust and face to face training had been impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. The registered manager had oversight of mandatory training for all partners.