Archived: Central Medical Solutions

On this page

• Overview
• Person-centred Care
• Care provision, Integration and continuity
• Providing Information
• Listening to and involving people
• Equity in access
• Equity in experiences and outcomes
• Planning for the future

We looked for evidence that the service met people’s needs, and that staff treated people equally and without discrimination.

This is the first inspection for this service since its registration with CQC in April 2021.

This key question has been rated as Good.

This service scored 64 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The service was designed to support people accessing care and treatment online and had systems in place to respond to changes in their needs. Clinical information provided by patients was reviewed to ensure care recommendations reflected any emerging risks or changes in their circumstances.

The service demonstrated an understanding of the health and care needs of people seeking specific treatments and outcomes. Staff supported patient choices by providing safe options that maintained continuity of care.

The service provided accurate, up-to-date information through its online resources and pharmacy website and portal. However, at the time of the inspection, the service had not fully assessed the potential issues for people with specific needs to understand their care and treatment options when using its online platform, such as for people that may have health literacy or interpreter services needs where adjusted formats, additional support, or alternative communication methods may be needed.

During the inspection, staff told us that these arrangements had improved, and that the service had received an independent quality assurance mark for its print and digital health information. However, we were unable to verify this because the quality mark was not present on the service’s partner pharmacy website, through which people accessed and interacted with the service.

The service made it easy for people to share feedback and ideas online, or raise complaints about their care, treatment, and support. They involved people and told them what had changed as a result.

Complaints were managed in line with the service’s policy. There was clear evidence of learning from complaints, and staff were able to describe changes made in response to patient feedback, including concerns raised. For example, the service had recruited nurses to provide appropriate triage and support for patients prescribed weight loss medicines experiencing potential side effects. It had also recruited a GP to improve response times and support for clinical enquiries to improve response times and support for clinical enquiries.

People could access the care, support, and treatment they needed online when they needed it.

However, the service had not fully identified potential access issues for people with specific needs, including those who may be vulnerable or require additional assistance, such as people with learning disabilities or visual impairments. Although established care pathways and the written information provided generally addressed people’s care and treatment needs, there remained a risk that some individuals might require additional support to ensure equitable access to care.

Service leaders were exploring ways to collect and analyse system‑level data to drive further improvements, building on measures already implemented.

Leaders were in the process of strengthening systems and processes to identify people who may be at higher risk of unequal experiences or outcomes due to vulnerabilities or specific care, treatment, or communication needs. This included sending patients surveys and capturing this data to improve how the service identified and supported people with potential protected characteristics such as visual impairment, cognitive impairment, and those with learning disabilities. These improvements were intended to ensure the service could anticipate people’s needs, to reduce any barriers to access and equitable care and support.

Staff were trained in equality, diversity, and inclusion.

Some people accessed the service only for short to medium-term treatment. Where longer term treatment options were possible and appropriate, people were supported to plan for this.