Archived: Sport Medicine Partners from Blackberry Clinic Lichfield Ltd.

Updated 6 September 2019

The clinic premises are leased and provided from Lombard Street in Litchfield, Staffordshire. The opening hours at the clinic centre are Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, 9am to 8pm, Wednesday from 9am to 5pm and Friday, 9am to1pm. The service operates from the ground floor of a shared leased building with level access for patients. The service had a waiting room, three consulting rooms, three treatment rooms, toilets and a rehabilitation room. The cellar area was locked and used as storage for cleaning equipment.

There is a public short stay car park near to Lombard Street with local charges applied which patients could access and Litchfield railway station was within a mile of the service.

More information can be sourced via their website: www.blackberryclinic.co.uk/clinics   

Updated 6 September 2019

This service is rated as Good overall.

The key questions are rated as:

Are services safe? – Good

Are services effective? – Good

Are services caring? – Good

Are services responsive? – Good

Are services well-led? – Good

We carried out an announced comprehensive at the registered location, Sport Medicine Partners from Blackberry Clinic Lichfield Ltd as part of our inspection programme. Sport Medicine Partners from Blackberry Clinic Lichfield Ltd is an independent provider of services to treat back pain and sports injuries services. They offer a range of specialist diagnostic services and treatments and physiotherapy. This service is registered with the Care Quality Commission in respect of the provision of treatment of diseases, surgical procedures, disorder or injury and diagnostic and screening procedures.

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.

A former partner at the practice is the registered manager at Sport Medicine Partners from Blackberry Clinic Lichfield 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 gained feedback through ten comment cards completed by service users in the two weeks prior to the inspection. Comments made were positive; the service was described as professional, providing timely excellent care and made specific reference to the friendliness of staff and to the health improvements made to them as individuals following their care and treatment.

Our key findings were:

• There were systems to assess, monitor and manage risks to patient safety.
• The service organised and delivered services to meet patients’ needs.
• Patients were able to access care and treatment from the service within an appropriate timescale for their needs.
• Staff dealt with patients with kindness and respect and involved them in decisions about their care.
• Effective management oversight of systems to confirm ongoing monitoring, continuous learning and improved processes was evident.

The areas where the provider should make improvements are:

• Implement the action plan in place following the infection prevention and control audit.
• Employ changes in order that treatments requiring blood taking, or acupuncture only take place in rooms with wipeable floor coverings.
• Document risk assessments for emergency medicines not held by the service. Risk assess the need for oxygen saturation monitors.
• Obtain contract cleaning staff training records to be held on site.
• Seek resolution from the landlord with regards to a trip hazard and stained carpeting.

Dr Rosie Benneyworth BM BS BMedSci MRCGP

Chief Inspector of Primary Medical Services and Integrated Care