InHealth Waterloo

On this page

• Overview
• Kindness, compassion and dignity
• Treating people as individuals
• Independence, choice and control
• Responding to people’s immediate needs
• Workforce wellbeing and enablement

We looked for evidence that patients were treated with kindness, empathy and compassion. We assessed the levels of patient’s privacy and dignity afforded to patients. We spoke to patients about their experiences and how they were treated by staff at the service. 

We looked for evidence that people using the service were always treated with respect, kindness and compassion. We checked that patients’ privacy and dignity were respected and that person-centred care was central to the service, with staff demonstrating cultural competence. Patients reported their overall experience was good.

At our last assessment we rated this key question good. At this assessment, the rating has remained good. This meant that people felt supported, cared for and treated with dignity and respect.

We have not awarded this service a score for Caring.

Find out about when we will not publish a key question score and what we look at when we assess Caring.

The service always treated patient with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. Staff treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect.

Staff treated patients with compassion and kindness, respected their privacy and dignity, and took account of their individual needs.

Staff were discreet and responsive when caring for patients. We observed that they took their time to interact with patients and those close to them in a respectful and considerate way. Patients told us that staff were supportive and made their visit to the service a positive experience.

Staff in the scanning room responded to patients’ anxieties about their procedure and took steps to reduce the stress within the environment. Patients said they felt confident to ask staff any questions they had and said they appreciated being able to take a relative or friend with them to the appointment.

Patients said staff treated them well and with kindness; they told us that all staff they met throughout their visit were friendly, welcoming and provided emotional support when they were feeling anxious. 

Patient feedback was shared with staff at team meetings. 

The service treated patient as individuals and made sure patient’s care, support and treatment met patient’s needs and preferences.

Staff understood and respected the personal, cultural, social, and religious needs of patients and how they may relate to care needs. For example, if a patient requested a female member of staff to conduct a scan, the service would try to accommodate this. At the point of booking, the service would be made aware of a patient’s individual needs such as arranging for interpreters if required. 

Feedback was gathered through patient surveys and concerns were responded to. Patients had fed back that they did not like the television in the main waiting area showing the news.  In response to this, the service changed this to play music and show information about InHealth, including notifying patients if the two MRI scanners were operating as normal. 

The service made reasonable adjustments for example ensuring extra time for patients with anxiety or claustrophobia. Patients could choose the radio station they preferred to listen to during their scan and wear an eye mask. 

The service promoted patient’s independence, so patient knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing.

Patients we spoke with told us that staff spent time going through their questions with them and explained procedures clearly. Information was also provided prior to all appointments so patients knew what to expect. For patients who self-referred, information about costs and how to make payment on the provider’s website was provided prior to their appointment. Patients told us they appreciated the range of dates and times to choose from for their appointments to best fit around their schedules and that booking was easy. They told us they felt well informed about what to expect on the day of the appointment and also the next steps in the process including how long it would take for them to receive scan reports. 

Staff described how they would provide ongoing reassurance throughout a scan and updated the patient on how long they had been in the scanner and how long was left. We observed staff speaking to patients from the control room, letting them know how long they had left in the scanner, and checking if they were comfortable.  

If patients were anxious about their scan appointment, they were allowed to bring someone with them. Anyone accompanying a patient would be asked to fill out the MR safety questionnaire for their own safety.

Staff worked with patients to promote their understanding and empowered them to play an active role in their treatment and care. Staff showed us leaflets which patients took home with them after their scan which informed them aftercare advice and any potential reactions they could have to contrast that was given and what to do, who to contact in the event of such reactions. 

Patients and their families could give feedback on the service and their treatment and staff supported them to do this. There were electronic tablets which patients could give feedback on after their appointment.

The staff listened to and understood patient’s needs, views and wishes. Staff responded to patient’s needs in the moment and acted to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress.

Staff were passionate about their work and focused on delivering patient centred care. We observed staff spending time talking with patients before and after scanning procedures. There was good rapport between staff and patients. 

Staff gave patients and those close to them help, emotional support and advice when they needed it. They were empathetic and considerate of the stress of a scanning environment. 

Patients were reminded that they could request scanning to stop should they require and could communicate with staff from inside the scanner.  Earplugs were provided to protect patients’ ears and patients could also choose the radio station they wanted to listen to while in the scanner. Eye masks were also offered to patients. One of the scanners had a mirror which helps reduce patient anxiety as it allows for them to look out of the scanner and feel less trapped in the small space. 

Patients who used mobility aids such as walking frames or crutches had them close by and were assisted to use them after their scan was completed.

Staff gave an example of when they scanned a patient with hearing loss. The radiographer stayed with the patient and agreed a code with them by tapping on their arm in order for the patient to know when they needed to breathe in or out or to hold their breath during the scan. 

The service cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care.

Staff told us there was a collaborative and supportive culture within the service and that there was good teamwork at all levels. Staff felt valued by their leaders and their colleagues. 

Staff had access to resources and facilities for safe working. This included being able to take breaks. They told us they were supported by their managers and were encouraged to develop professionally. There were a number of programmes staff could enrol onto such as an aspiring leaders course, continuing professional development courses and mentorship. Staff received annual appraisals, one to ones and regular check-ins with their managers. 

The staff survey response rate at InHealth Waterloo was 87% which was higher than the provider’s target of 80% and had increased by 21% from the previous year’s staff survey. Most staff said they felt valued within their team (84%). One hundred percent of staff said they would recommend the service to friends and family. 

Fifty eight percent of staff said they felt valued and recognised for the work they do and 26% neither agreed nor disagreed with the statement. The overall staff survey showed that InHealth Waterloo had exceeded healthcare benchmarks by 11% in leadership, 13% in development, 12% in staff role, 10% in engagement, and 7% in patient focus. The operations manager was working on improving recognition within the team by ensuring that longstanding systems such as the employee of the month and  excellence in everything award were being utilised. They had also begun testing different appreciation languages with the team to identify preferred types of recognition and improve how staff feel valued. 

There were various opportunities for staff to provide feedback or raise concerns either at team meetings, at one to ones or with the freedom to speak up guardian. 

Staff could access InHealth’s annual equality, diversity and inclusion report through the company intranet and were also invited to join InHealth’s quarterly equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) forum to contribute to shaping initiatives and effect change within the organisation. There were also weekly company-wide newsletters celebrating cultural diversity and wellbeing topics.

Staff had access to personalised support which recognised the diversity of a workforce.  Staff could also access the provider’s health and wellbeing benefits which included private healthcare scheme and an employee assistance programme where staff could access counselling and mental health support. Managers at the service organised yearly team building events as well as a year-end function which was well received by staff. The service also had access to mental health first aiders and encouraged the team to take part in this training to become a mental health first aider as well.