Southampton Alliance MRI Unit

Updated 1 August 2022

Southampton Alliance MRI Unit is operated by Alliance Medical Limited. The service opened in 2010. It is a private magnetic resonance imaging service. The unit has contracts with the local NHS trust and an also an independent provider located on the same site. The unit primarily serves the communities of Southampton. It also accepts patient referrals from outside this area.

The service registered with Care Quality Commission in 2010. They are registered to carry out the regulated activity; Diagnostic and screening procedures.

The service has a registered manager who has been in post since December 2018.

Updated 1 August 2022

Our rating of this service went down. We rated it as requires improvement because:

• The service had enough staff to care for patients and keep them safe. Staff had training in key skills, understood how to protect patients from abuse, and managed safety well. Staff assessed risks to patients, acted on them and kept good care records. The service managed safety incidents well and learned lessons from them. The service mostly controlled infection risk well
• Staff provided good care and treatment. Managers monitored the effectiveness of the service and made sure staff were competent. Staff worked well together for the benefit of patients, advised them on how to lead healthier lives, supported them to make decisions about their care, and had access to good information. Key services were available to suit patients' needs.
• Staff treated patients with compassion and kindness, respected their privacy and dignity, took account of their individual needs, and helped them understand their conditions. They provided emotional support to patients, families and carers.
• The service planned care to meet the needs of local people, took account of patients’ individual needs, and made it easy for people to give feedback. People could access the service when they needed it and did not have to wait too long for treatment.
• Leaders ran services well using reliable information systems and supported staff to develop their skills. Staff understood the service’s vision and values, and how to apply them in their work. Staff felt respected, supported and valued. They were focused on the needs of patients receiving care. Staff were clear about their roles and accountabilities. The service engaged well with patients and the community to plan and manage services and all staff were committed to improving services continually.

However:

• They did not always manage medicines well. There were out of date emergency medicines. Medicines that needed to be stored between 2°c and 8°c were not managed effectively. This was a repeated instance of failing to ensure the proper and safe management of medicines.

Updated 1 August 2022

See overall summary for details.