Blackberry Clinic - Walsall

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 Blackberry Clinic – Walsall as part of our inspection programme.

Blackberry Clinic – Walsall provides a pain clinic service. Treatments are provided by pain specialists who specialise in the management of back, joint and neck pain.

Our key findings were:

• There were systems to assess, monitor and manage risks to patient safety.
• Services provided were organised and delivered to meet patients identified and assessed needs.
• The provider had systems and processes in place to minimise the risk of infection.
• Appropriate medicines and equipment were available to manage medical emergencies.
• Staff had received training and guidance to deal with medical and other health and safety emergencies.
• The provider maintained a central register of any complaints and incidents that had occurred across all its locations. This supported sharing learning and improvements across the organisation. There had not been any complaints or any incidents specific to this location however, staff were aware of the systems in place for identifying, reporting and acting on complaints and incidents.
• We saw examples where information was shared with a patients NHS GP to support the continuity of safe care and treatment.
• Patients were supported to live healthier lives, through education, support and had access to care and treatment in a timely manner.
• Staff treated patients with respect and involved them in decisions about their care.
• Governance arrangements in place ensured the provider had effective management oversight of systems to support ongoing learning, monitoring and improvement.

Dr Sean O’Kelly BSc MB ChB MSc DCH FRCA

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