Somerset Ear Microsuction

On this page

• Overview
• Assessing needs
• Delivering evidence-based care and treatment
• How staff, teams and services work together
• Supporting people to live healthier lives
• Monitoring and improving outcomes
• Consent to care and treatment

We looked for evidence that staff involved people in decisions about their care and treatment and provided them advice and support. Staff regularly reviewed people’s care and worked with other services to achieve this.

This is the first inspection for this service since its registration with CQC. This key question has been rated as good.

This service scored 75 (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 made sure people’s care and treatment was effective by assessing and reviewing their health, care, wellbeing and communication needs with them.

Feedback from people using the service was positive. People felt involved in assessments of their needs and felt confident that staff understood their individual needs.

Clinical staff used consultation templates to ensure consistency and support the holistic review of individuals' health and wellbeing. The templates documented medical history, consent, potential risks and complications, procedure details, and treatment outcomes.

The service planned and delivered people’s care and treatment with them, including what was important and mattered to them. They did this in line with legislation and current evidence-based good practice and standards.

There were systems to ensure staff were up to date with evidence-based guidance and legislation. Clinical records we saw demonstrated care was provided in line with current guidance.

The service worked well across teams and services to support people. They made sure people only needed to tell their story once by sharing their assessment of needs when people moved between different services.

Staff had access to the information they needed to appropriately assess, plan, and deliver people’s care, treatment, and support. The practice worked with other services, such as NHS GPs and audiology department in secondary care settings, to ensure continuity of care. When a person’s needs could not be met, the service referred them on to other services and ensured all relevant information was shared with the person’s consent.

The service supported people to manage their health and wellbeing. The service supported people where possible, to reduce their future needs for care and support.

People’s feedback commented that the staff provided clear guidance on appropriate ear care to support self-management of their condition.

The service routinely monitored people’s care and treatment to continuously improve it. They ensured that outcomes were positive and consistent, and that they met both clinical expectations and the expectations of people themselves.

The service sampled clinical records for audit every 3 months to review the quality and consistency of documentation and care. We reviewed recent audits covering January to March 2026 and April to June 2026. The audits showed clinical records were accurate, documentation was consistent and there were no clinical safety concerns.

The service told people about their rights around consent and respected these when delivering person-centred care and treatment.

Staff understood and applied legislation relating to consent. Capacity and consent were clearly recorded in clinical records. When providing microsuction services to children, staff told us they ensured the procedure was explained in an age-appropriate way that the child could understand. Staff told us they would only proceed with the procedure if the child consented, in addition to parental consent being obtained.