Archived: The Smart Clinics - South Kensington

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 inspection at The Smart Clinics - South Kensington as part of our inspection programme. It was the first inspection of this location, which was registered by the CQC in April 2020.

The service offers consultations with a general practitioner. In addition, the service provides blood tests, diagnostic screening and referrals to specialists under arrangements with third-party service providers.

This service is registered with CQC under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 in respect of some, but not all, of the services it provides. There are some general exemptions from regulation by CQC which relate to particular types of service and these are set out in Schedule 2 of The Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. At The Smart Clinics - South Kensington services are provided to patients under arrangements made by their employer or an insurance provider with whom the service user holds an insurance policy other than a standard health insurance policy. These types of arrangements are exempt by law from CQC regulation. Therefore, at The Smart Clinics - South Kensington, we were only able to inspect the services which are not arranged for patients by their employers or an insurance provider with whom the patient holds a policy other than a standard health insurance policy.

A service manager 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.

Our key findings were:

• The service had systems to manage risk so that safety incidents were less likely to happen. When they did happen, the provider learned from them and improved their processes.
• The service routinely reviewed the effectiveness and appropriateness of the care provided. It ensured that care and treatment was delivered according to evidence-based guidelines.
• The service had systems and processes in place to ensure that patients were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and they were involved in decisions about their care and treatment.
• Patients were able to access care and treatment within an appropriate timescale for their needs.
• The service had systems in place to collect and analyse feedback from patients.
• There was a clear leadership structure to support good governance and management.

Whilst we found no breaches of regulations, the provider should:

• Review the fire risk assessment to ensure risks related to escape routes are mitigated.
• Maintain consistent and comprehensive records of staff immunity / vaccination history.
• Review the systems for auditing consultations notes and antibiotic prescribing and continue working towards completed clinical audit cycles.
• Consider installing a hearing induction loop to assist patients and visitors who use a hearing aid.

Dr Sean O’Kelly BSc MB ChB MSc DCH FRCA

Chief Inspector of Hospitals and Interim Chief Inspector of Primary Medical Services