Howell Medical Group Ltd

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 the service involved people and treated them with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.This is the first inspection for this service since its registration with CQC. This key question has been rated as good.

This service scored 75 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The service treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. The provider told us it worked closely with patients to deliver weight loss treatment that sought to meet their needs.

Staff were able to reassure patients that they were not alone and offer an understanding approach to obesity and linked health conditions.

The provider had made changes in systems so that nurses could book review appointments giving dedicated continuity of care throughout the patient journey.

Staff were passionate about helping patients with their weight loss journeys and were proud to share information on the hugely positive impact their service made to patients' lives.

The service treated patients as individuals, and made sure their care, support and treatment met their needs and preferences whenever possible. The provider told us due to the nature of their service they worked closely with patients to understand and manage their expectations and their experience of care. The provider offered a holistic approach including advice around nutrition, hydration, exercise and lifestyle, including appointments with a nutritional therapist. Administrative staff had all completed equality and diversity training; however the provider was only able to evidence that 40% of nurses had completed equality and diversity training.

The service promoted their patient’s independence, so patients knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing. As an independent health provider patients chose to book into the service. The website provided information about the different treatment routes patients could take, self-directed or clinician led with support from nurses regularly.

Patients could access the service remotely and appointments were available outside of working hours which supported patient choice. The service carried out an initial assessment of the needs of the patients and discussed with them treatment options.

We have not inspected or reported on this quality statement as the service provided no urgent care and treatment.

The service prioritised staff wellbeing and created conditions that enabled staff to deliver person-centred care. Leaders stated they valued the workforce and had worked to embed a positive culture which included opportunities for team meetings and social / wellbeing events. Many nurses who joined the service had either worked with or met the consultant endocrinologist through their work and shared his passion for making a difference to patients’ health and lives. Staff reported feeling valued and enjoyed that they saw the service making a difference to their patients. Leaders were proactive to recognise and respond to the wellbeing needs of staff. They ensured safe working conditions by providing appropriate resources, rest areas, and regular breaks. Staff we spoke with, and those who completed questionnaires, said they felt supported at work. They told us they had regular opportunities to share feedback, raise concerns, and suggest improvements to the service and their experience as employees. The service had also recently introduced a friends and family discount for the service should they wish to, and some staff told us of their own weight loss experience with medication.