Archived: First View Imaging Limited

Updated 13 August 2019

First View Limited is operated by the provider known as First View Imaging Limited. The service was first registered with CQC in 2011 and has been in operation for 15 years. It is a private service in Fareham, Hampshire, and primarily serves the communities of Portsmouth and the surrounding areas of south Hampshire. It also offers care to patients from outside this area.

The registered manager, one of three directors of the company, had been in post since registration in 2011.

There were no special reviews or investigations of the service ongoing by the CQC at any time during the 12 months before this inspection. The service has been inspected three times, and the most recent inspection took place in February 2014, where we found it was compliant with the two regulations previously judged as non-compliant.

Updated 13 August 2019

First View Limited is an ultrasound imaging service, operated by the provider, also known as First View Imaging Limited. The service offers ultrasound pregnancy scans and abdominal, gynaecological and fertility scans to the whole population. In practice, they offered services to men and women over 16 years of age. It has one ultrasound machine, and two waiting rooms.

We inspected this service using our comprehensive inspection methodology. We carried out the announced part of the inspection on 18 June 2019, and spoke with eight patients by phone on 19, 20 and 21 June 2019.

To get to the heart of patients’ experiences of care and treatment, we ask the same five questions of all services: are they safe, effective, caring, responsive to people's needs, and well-led? Where we have a legal duty to do so we rate services’ performance against each key question as outstanding, good, requires improvement or inadequate. For this type of service, we do not rate effective.

This was the first time this service had been rated. We rated it as Good overall.

We found good practice in relation to diagnostic and imaging:

• The service had enough staff with the right qualifications, skills, training and experience to keep people safe from avoidable harm and to provide the right care and treatment. Staff completed their mandatory training and competency assessments.

• The service controlled infection risk well and kept equipment and premises visibly clean. It maintained safe premises and equipment, and managed clinical waste and blood samples well.

• Staff identified and completed risk assessments for each patient and removed or minimised risks. They created records that were accurate and detailed, and staff kept these accessible and secure.

• There had been no recorded patient safety incidents in the past 12 months. Staff recognised incidents and near misses and understood how to apply the duty of candour.

• The service provided care based on national guidance and evidence-based practice. All staff were committed to continually learning to improve their service.

• The service had an agreement with healthcare staff at a nearby NHS trust and based their policies on trust policies. Staff worked collaboratively to support patients though their health care.

• The service monitored the effectiveness of the care their staff delivered and used findings to make improvements and achieve good outcomes for patients.

• Staff supported patients to make informed decisions about their care.

• Staff treated patients with compassion and kindness, respected their privacy and dignity and took account of their individual needs. This was confirmed by the patients we spoke with and by patient feedback obtained by the provider.

• Staff provided emotional support and supported patients and their family to understand procedures, results and the next steps in their care.

• The service planned and provided care in a way that met the needs of the local people. It also worked with other health providers to plan care.

• The service took account of patients’ individual needs and preferences. It offered appointments at times that suited patients and patients said they didn’t have to wait on arrival for their appointment.

• It was easy for people to give feedback and raise concerns about care received. The service treated concerns and complaints seriously, investigated them and shared lessons learned with all staff.

• Leaders had the integrity, skills and abilities to run the service. They understood and managed the priorities and issues the service faced and staff and patients told us they were visible and approachable.

• The service had a vision for what it wanted to achieve.

• Staff at all levels were clear about their roles and accountabilities and had regular opportunities to meet with the directors, discuss service plans and learn.

• Leaders and staff actively and openly engaged with patients, staff and other health providers. They collaborated with partner organisations to help improve services for patients.

We found areas of practice that should be improved:

• Staff took action in response to incidents, but they did not always record these actions in a systematic way.

• The service undertook hand hygiene audits and advised staff of shortfalls but did not record the action required on the audit report.

• There was no programme of regular audits of sonographer practice, to ensure they followed best practice guidance.

• The service did not have access to translation services for those patients for whom spoken English is not their first language.

• Some of the service’s policies and procedures were not dated and did not incorporate enough detail to provide guidance for staff. Despite this, staff understood what actions to take in relation to the topics covered, such as information management and safeguarding, and the service did not use bank or agency staff.

• There was evidence that risks had been identified and managed, but these were not formally recorded within a risk management framework.

• Office staff did not have annual appraisals, for the discussion of performance and development.

Following this inspection, we told the provider that it should make improvements, even though a regulation had not been breached, to help the service improve.

Nigel Acheson

Deputy Chief Inspector of Hospitals (London and South)

Updated 13 August 2019

This was a limited company offering an ultrasound diagnostic imaging service.

We rated this service as good because it was safe, caring, responsive and well led.