The Care Quality Commission
  • Hospital
  • Independent hospital

Archived: Highgate Dialysis Unit

310 Highgate Studios, 53-79 Highgate Road, London, NW5 1TL (020) 7284 1799

Provided and run by:
Fresenius Medical Care Renal Services Limited

All Inspections

10 February 2014

During a routine inspection

There were some arrangements in place for obtaining and acting in accordance with the consent of people who used the service or the consent of another person legally able to do so. However, the provider was not able to demonstrate that any change in people's capacity to make decisions had been assessed and acted upon and therefore they may not always be acting in accordance with their wishes.

Systems were not in place to ensure that care was personalised in a way that met people's individual needs which meant that care may not always be safe and appropriate.

People were protected against health acquired infections as staff were correctly following infection control and prevention policies in accordance with Department of Health guidelines.

There were effective recruitment procedures in place to ensure that people were suitably employed for their roles. Staff felt supported by managers, undertook ongoing training and development, and were kept informed of changes affecting the service.

Feedback about the quality of the service was provided by people who used the service and staff and was welcomed and acted upon. This meant that provider was enabled to come to an informed view about the standard of care and treatment provided to people who used the service.

11 January 2013

During a routine inspection

During our visit we observed interaction with patients and spoke with five people who used the unit. All the people we spoke with told us that they were given information about their care and treatment before and during their treatment. They said they were given a "booklet" which contained useful information about their treatment. They told us that staff explained and showed them what they did and how the machines worked.

All the people we spoke with gave positive comments about staff. A person said: "The nurses are lovely". Another person felt that they were "really well looked after" and said the nurses had explained to them "the do's and don'ts, and what to look for" to improve their healthcare. We noted that staff spoke different languages including Portuguese, Italian, and French which enabled them to communicate effectively with patients who spoke these languages. During our visit we saw a staff member talking with a person who spoke Portuguese.

People told us that there was flexibility in the service which meant that their individual needs were accommodated as they were allowed to come earlier or later than their official appointment time. People told us they could talk to staff and had also completed a patient survey.