Worcestershire Imaging Centre

Ratings - Diagnostic imaging

• Overall

  Good

• Safe

  Good

• Effective

  Good

• Caring

  Good

• Responsive

  Good

• Well-led

  Good

Our view of the service

Worcestershire imaging centre is a diagnostic imaging service operated by The Worcestershire Imaging Centre Limited, which opened in 1999. It is a private clinic that serves the communities of Worcestershire and Shropshire.

The service provided magnetic resonance diagnostic services which undertakes scans on patients to diagnose disease, disorder and injury for NHS patients, patients with private healthcare, private insurance and self-paying patients. The service was regulated to carry out MRI scans for adults and children aged 4 to 17.

We carried out a short notice announced risk-based assessment on 29 April 2026. The purpose of the assessment was to re-rate the service and to follow up regulatory breaches from the previous inspection in 2019. We inspected all 5 key questions: safe, effective, caring, responsive, and well-led and assessed all quality statements.

We interviewed the registered manager and spoke with radiographers and a medical secretary. We reviewed patient records, policies, audits, risk registers, and governance documentation. We also reviewed feedback from patients that had used the service. Further details on our inspection approach are available on the CQC website.

The service was previously inspected in January 2019 and was rated as requires improvement.

The service was no longer in breach of regulations. Previous breaches included expired medicines, no safeguarding lead, incomplete bank radiographer competencies and incomplete induction checklists. The service did not have an identifiable registered manager or MRI expert.

We found the service had made improvements and is no longer in breach of regulations.

During this assessment, safe and well-led improved to good. Caring and responsive remained good. The overall rating improved to good.

People's experience of this service

Patients spoke positively about staff, describing them as, “really friendly” and, “very helpful” in delivering care and treatment. Patients said staff were easy to contact, responded promptly, and were available when assistance was needed. Patients also told us that they were given enough time to ask questions, and staff ensured they understood the procedures and how they would receive their results.