Archived: Axis B.M.C Travel Clinic Limited

Updated 14 May 2019

Axis BMC Travel Clinic Limited is the registered provider of services carried out at the location Axis BMC Travel Clinic Limited.

We carried out an inspection of Axis BMC Travel Clinic Limited. Regulated activities provided at this location are carried out by nurses and include pre-travel health assessments, travel health advice, anti-malarial medications, travel vaccinations and non-travel vaccinations. The clinic is also a registered yellow fever vaccination centre.

Unit 1 Park Barn

Evegate Business Park

Station Road

Smeeth

Ashford

TN25 6SX

The travel clinic is an independent private travel clinic situated at a well-established business park offering free parking. It is located two miles from junction 10 of the M20, offering easy access from all areas of Kent. The clinic is situated on the ground floor of a barn conversion; there is direct access from the car park providing easy access for the disabled and families with small children. Toilet facilities are available on the ground floor adjacent to the clinic entrance.

The clinic is open five days a week; set opening times occasionally vary to accommodate demand: Monday and Thursday 9am to 5pm; Tuesday is 9am to 7pm; Wednesday and Friday are 9am to 4pm.

The clinic has two receptionists and two qualified travel health nurses (female) working variable hours. Clinical support is provided by remote clinical advisors including a consultant pharmacist.

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 02 April 2019.

The inspection team was led by a CQC inspector and included a GP specialist advisor.

Prior to the inspection we gathered and reviewed information from the provider. There was no information of concern received from stakeholders. During our visit we:

• Spoke with registered manager/nominated individual who was also a travel nurse/advisor based at the clinic. We also spoke with the two receptionists.
• Reviewed 18 CQC comment cards where clients shared their views and experiences of the service.
• Looked at documents the clinic used to carry out services, including policies and procedures.
• Reviewed clinical records of clients to track their progress through the service.

To get to the heart of client’s experiences of care and treatment, we always ask the following five questions:

• Is it safe?
• Is it effective?
• Is it caring?
• Is it responsive to people’s needs?
• Is it well-led?

These questions therefore formed the framework for the areas we looked at during the inspection.

This clinic refers to people who use the service as clients and we have used this terminology through the report.

Updated 14 May 2019

This clinic is rated as Outstanding overall. (Previous inspection on 10/04/2018 not rated).

The key questions are rated as:

Are services safe? – Outstanding

Are services effective? – Good

Are services caring? – Good

Are services responsive? – Outstanding

Are services well-led? – Outstanding

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Axis BMC Travel Clinic Limited. 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 clinic was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Axis BMC Travel Clinic provides pre-travel health assessments, travel health advice, anti-malarial medications, travel vaccinations and non-travel vaccinations. The clinic is also a registered yellow fever vaccination centre.

This clinic 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 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 Axis BMC Travel Clinic those occupational health related services provided to clients under arrangements made by their employer or a government department are exempt by law from CQC regulation. Therefore, they did not fall into the scope of our inspection.

The travel health nurse advisor based at the location 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.

As part of our inspection we asked for CQC comment cards to be completed by clients prior to our inspection. We received 18 comment cards which were all positive about the service that had been provided.

Our key findings were:

• There was an open and transparent approach to safety and a system in place for reporting and recording significant events.

• The clinic had clearly defined and embedded systems to minimise risks to customer safety.

• Staff had been trained to provide them with the skills and knowledge to deliver effective care and treatment.

• Information about services and how to complain was available.

• There was a clear leadership structure and staff felt supported by management. The clinic proactively sought feedback from staff and customers, which it acted on.

We saw the following outstanding practice:

• The clinic managed local population groups who required vaccines, this included 250 families (wives and children) of the local Serving Officers. Additionally and in collaboration with local GPs and chemists, people with complex needs were referred to the clinic. For example, people who had complicated itineries or underlying conditions, all of which may mean they needed more detailed risk assessments or discussion with on call consultants. Also, search and rescue teams across many disciplines who required both and ongoing cover for vaccination worldwide.
• The clinic used three sensor clips in the refrigerators, a method of constant internal temperature monitoring every 15 minutes. More importantly, this provided the manager and a receptionist with an “early warning system” (as they received a text message on their phones) and allowed a rapid response by the staff if the refrigerator temperature dropped.

Dr Rosie Benneyworth BM BS BMedSci MRCGPChief Inspector of Primary Medical Services and Integrated Care