We carried out a review of the data available to us about InHealth Waterloo on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about InHealth Waterloo, you can give feedback on this service.
Our rating of this location stayed the same. We rated it as good because:
InHealth Waterloo is operated by InHealth Limited. The service provides MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) diagnostic imaging facilities for children aged 14 and above and adults.
We inspected the areas covered by the warning notice issued following our comprehensive inspection in November 2018. We carried out an unannounced follow up inspection on 10 July 2019.
The main service provided by this service was MRI diagnostic imaging.
Services we rate
When we inspected the service in November 2019 it had been the first time we had rated this service and we rated the service it as requires Improvement overall.
We found areas of practice that required improvement in this service.
Effective systems were not in place to keep people protected from avoidable harm.
Infection prevention and control measures were not fully established. The environment in the scanning room was not visibly clean. There was no cleaning schedule or checklist for the scanning rooms. Staff were not always bare below the elbow, which was their policy.
Stock control was poorly managed, and multiple items of out of date single use equipment were found.
Medicines were not always stored in a locked cupboard, which was a risk to patients and the public.
The oxygen cylinder from the resuscitation trolley was empty, which had not been identified by staff in the daily checks.
The staff were not aware of the fringe field area around the MRI scanner which contact with could cause harm to some patients.
The service was not safeguarding patients from the risk of falls by using wooden steps to get on to and off the scanning table. The wooden steps did not have a handrail.
Processes were not sufficiently in place to ensure the correct patient received the correct scan on the correct area of the body.
Staff did not always feel supported or listened to. The service did not always engage well with staff.
There was not a positive culture that supported and valued staff. Staff morale was low.
During the follow up inspection which took place on the 10 July 2019 we found all the areas for improvement had been addressed.
We found system had been set up to ensure staff followed expected infection prevention and control practices, and compliance with these were monitored. Cleanliness of the service had improved because of this.
Stock control had improved and was managed well. Medicines management including oxygen cylinders monitoring had improved and was monitored adequately.
The MRI fringe fields had been defined and staff were aware of them.
The wooden steps had been replaced with metal steps with a handrail, which were safer for patients who were unsteady on their feet.
Processes were now in place which ensured patients were given the correct scan on the correct part of their body.
Staff morale had improved; staff felt listened to and they now had access to development opportunities which they had not had access to before.
Over all we found the service had made a marked improvement since the last inspection.
Dr Nigel Acheson
Deputy Chief Inspector of Hospitals (London and South)
Vista Diagnostics Limited operates as part of the InHealth group. The service provides MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) diagnostic imaging facilities for children aged 14 and above and adults.
We inspected MRI diagnostic facilities only, using our comprehensive inspection methodology. We carried out an unannounced inspection on 15 November 2018.
To get to the heart of patients’ experiences of care and treatment, we ask the same five questions of all services: are they safe, effective, caring, responsive to people's needs, and well-led? Where we have a legal duty to do so we rate services’ performance against each key question as outstanding, good, requires improvement or inadequate.
Throughout the inspection, we took account of what people told us and how the provider understood and complied with the Mental Capacity Act 2005.
The main service provided by this service was MRI diagnostic imaging.
Services we rate
This was the first time we have rated this service. We rated it as requires Improvement overall.
We found areas of practice that require improvement in this service.
Effective systems were not in place to keep people protected from avoidable harm.
Infection prevention and control measures were not fully established. The environment in the scanning room was not visibly clean. There was no cleaning schedule or checklist for the scanning rooms. Staff were not always bare below the elbow, which was their policy.
Stock control was poorly managed, and multiple items of out of date single use equipment were found.
Medicines were not always stored in a locked cupboard, which was a risk to patients and the public.
The oxygen cylinder from the resuscitation trolley was empty, which had not been identified by staff in the daily checks.
The staff were not aware of the fringe field area around the MRI scanner which contact with could cause harm to some patients.
The service was not safeguarding patients from the risk of falls by using wooden steps to get on to and off the scanning table. The wooden steps did not have a handrail.
Processes were not sufficiently in place to ensure the correct patient received the correct scan on the correct area of the body.
Staff did not always feel supported or listened to. The service did not always engage well with staff.
There was not a positive culture that supported and valued staff. Staff morale was low.
However, we found good practice in this service
The service provided mandatory training in key skills to all staff and made sure everyone completed this.
Staff understood how to protect patients from avoidable harm, and the service worked well with other agencies to do so.
The service had enough staff with the right qualifications, skills, training and experience to provide the right care and treatment.
Information leaflets were provided in the service for patients on what the scan would entail and what was expected of them prior to a scan.
Staff cared for patients with compassion. Staff provided emotional support to patients to minimise their distress. Staff involved patients and those close to them in decisions about their care and treatment.
The service planned and provided services in a way that met the needs of local people.
Following this inspection, we issued the service with a warning notice and told the provider that it must take some actions to comply with the regulations and that it should make other improvements. Details are at the end of the report.
Dr Nigel Acheson
Deputy Chief Inspector of Hospitals (London)
We saw that staff were courteous and professional at the reception area and people were addressed in a timely manner.
We saw the consulting rooms were private and lockable and that equipment was maintained and ready for use. These areas were visibly clean and the ambient noise was at a low level in spite of the building works. People told us that this had not affected their consultation.
There were private changing rooms with lockers available for personal belongings and a waiting area close to the diagnostics. People told us that this preserved their dignity in so far as they did not have to return to the general waiting area.
People told us that they were happy with the service and that they were well informed and knew what to expect from initial contact through to the collection of their results. This was confirmed on our review of the customer satisfaction survey.
One person said that the service had been quick and clean and friendly and the location was convenient and well served by public transport.