Archived: Midlands Eye Care C.I.C

Updated 16 August 2022

The provider, Midlands Eye Care C.I.C is registered with the Care Quality Commission to provide the regulated activities of diagnostic and screening procedures, treatment of disease, disorder, or injury and surgical procedures from 59 New Street, Burton on Trent, Staffordshire, DE14 3QY.

The service is located in a converted building. Clinical rooms are located on the ground floor, with staff offices on the first floor. On the ground floor there is a main waiting area and the reception, with a smaller sub waiting area to the rear of the building. There are toilet facilities including wheelchair access on ground floor.

The clinical rooms where consultations, examinations and treatments are undertaken are clean and provide suitable equipment.

The service is provided by three visiting Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeons, who also work within the National Health Service. The service provides care for acute eye conditions, and chronic eye diseases such as glaucoma, macular degeneration or diabetic eye disease. As well as minor surgeries, laser treatments for glaucoma and after cataract surgery, and eye injections for macular degeneration and other retinal diseases. If major surgery or specialist treatment is needed, this can be arranged to take place privately. The service provides consultations, prescribing and administration of topical medications to children aged 0 to 18 years of age. As well as consultations and minor ophthalmic surgical treatments to people aged 18 years and older.

The consultants are supported by an optometrist, an ophthalmic technician and a receptionist.

Before visiting we reviewed a range of information we hold about the service and information which was provided by the service before the inspection.

How we inspected this service

During the inspection:

• we spoke with one consultant, the registered manager and the ophthalmic technician.
• reviewed key documents which support the governance and delivery of the service.
• made observations about the areas the service was delivered from.
• looked at information the service used to deliver care and treatment plans.

To get to the heart of patients’ experiences of care and treatment, we always ask the following five questions:

• Is it safe?
• Is it effective?
• Is it caring?
• Is it responsive to people’s needs?
• Is it well-led?

These questions therefore formed the framework for the areas we looked at during the inspection.

Updated 16 August 2022

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Midlands Eye Care Limited on 14 July 2022 as part of our inspection programme.

This service is rated as Good overall.

The key questions are rated as:

Are services safe? – Good

Are services effective? – Good

Are services caring? – Good

Are services responsive? – Good

Are services well-led? – Good

This service is registered with CQC under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 in respect of some, but not all, of the services it provides. There are some exemptions from regulation by CQC which relate to particular types of regulated activities and services and these are set out in Schedule 1 and Schedule 2 of The Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. Midlands Eye Care C.I.C provides a range of optometry services which are not within CQC scope of registration. Therefore, we did not inspect or report on these services. Midlands Eye Care C.I.C is registered in respect of the provision of the diagnostic and screening services, treatment of disease, disorder or injury and surgical procedures; therefore we were only able to inspect treatments relating to medical conditions such as glaucoma, cataracts and retinal conditions.

Miss R Harrison is the registered manager. A registered manager is a person who is registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

Our key findings were:

• The service was offered on a private, fee paying basis only and was accessible to patients who chose to use it. Patients were able to access care and treatment from the service within an appropriate timescale for their needs.
• The service provided care in a way that kept patients safe and protected them from avoidable harm.
• Patients received effective care and treatment that met their needs.
• Systems, processes and records had been established to seek consent and to offer coordinated and person-centred care.
• The clinicians maintained the necessary skills and competence to support patients’ needs.
• The provider and staff team demonstrated a positive culture and a commitment to the delivery of person-centred care and treatment.
• The provider was aware of, and complied with, the requirements of the duty of candour.

The areas where the provider should make improvements are:

• Ensure outstanding recruitment information is available in staff files.
• Ensure sharps boxes are correctly labelled and clinical waste stored in a secure area while awaiting collection.
• Ensure safe storage of cleaning equipment.
• Continue taking action following feedback received.
• Action the planned discussions with identified consultants whose appointments times tended to run late.

Dr Rosie Benneyworth BM BS BMedSci MRCGP
Chief Inspector of Primary Medical Services and Integrated Care