Archived: BMI Lincoln

Updated 1 October 2018

InHealth was established over 25 years ago in response to some of the health economy’s most pressing challenges – reducing waiting times, speeding up diagnoses, saving money, improving patient pathways and enhancing the overall patient experience.

The MRI unit at BMI The Lincoln hospital is a joint venture between InHealth and BMI. The service was opened in October 2011. The unit provides a wide range of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examinations to BMI private patients, InHealth directly referred private patients, BMI NHS choose and book patients and NHS patients referred from the local NHS Trust through a contract directly with InHealth. The unit serves patients from all over the county of Lincolnshire, north Nottingham and South Yorkshire. The unit is registered with the CQC to undertake the regulated activity of diagnostic and screening.

The service has had a registered manager in post since August 2017. We inspected this service on 6 August 2018. This was the first inspection since registration.

Updated 1 October 2018

BMI Lincoln is operated by InHealth. The service provides MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) diagnostic facilities for adults.

We inspected MRI diagnostic facilities for adults only.

We inspected this service using our comprehensive inspection methodology. We carried out the unannounced inspection on 06 August 2018.

To get to the heart of patients’ experiences of care and treatment, we ask the same five questions of all services: are they safe, effective, caring, responsive to people's needs, and well-led? Where we have a legal duty to do so we rate services’ performance against each key question as outstanding, good, requires improvement or inadequate.

Throughout the inspection, we took account of what people told us and how the provider understood and complied with the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

The main service provided by this unit was MRI.

Services we rate

We rated this service as good.

We found good practice in relation to diagnostic imaging:

• There were effective systems in place to keep people protected from avoidable harm.

• There were sufficient numbers of staff with the necessary skills, experience and qualifications to meet patients’ needs.

• There was a programme of mandatory training in key safety areas, which all staff completed, and systems for checking staff competencies.

• Equipment was maintained and serviced appropriately and the environment was visibly clean.

• Staff were trained and understood what to do if a safeguarding issue was identified. We saw evidence of this in practice.

• Records were up to date and complete and kept protected from unauthorised access.

• Medicines were managed in line with best practice.

• Incidents were reported, investigated and learning was implemented.

• The service used evidence based processes and best practice, this followed recognised protocols. Scans were timely, effective and reported on in good time.

• Staff were competent in their field and kept up to date with their professional practice.

• The service worked well with internal and external colleagues and partnership working was strong.

• Staff demonstrated a kind and caring approach to their patients, supported their emotional needs and provided reassurance.

• Appointments were available during the evening and at weekends and at short notice if required.

• The referral to scan times and scan to reporting times were appropriate and well within expected ranges.

• The service had few complaints but acted upon feedback from patients and staff.

• The service had supportive, competent managers who led by example. Staff understood and were invested in the vision and values of the organisation. The culture was positive and staff demonstrated pride in the work and the service provided.

• Risks were identified, assessed and mitigated. Performance was monitored and data used to seek improvements for both staff and patients.

• Engagement with staff, stakeholders and partners was a strong feature of the service.

However, we also found the following issues that the service provider needs to improve:

• We noted that the key to the MRI room was left in the door. This was behind a fob controlled door but we raised this as a potential safety concern with the manager and the staff as a disorientated patient or relative may exit the changing/toilet area and inadvertently walk into the unlocked MRI room prior to screening. Staff said the key was left in the door ‘because it always had been’.

Following this inspection, we told the provider that it should consider other improvements, even though a regulation had not been breached, to help the service improve. Details are at the end of the report.

Professor Ted Baker

Chief Inspector of Hospitals

Updated 1 October 2018

Diagnostics was the only activity the service provided .

We rated this service as good because it was safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led.