The Thyroid Clinic

On this page

• Overview
• Person-centred Care
• Care provision, Integration and continuity
• Providing Information
• Listening to and involving people
• Equity in access
• Equity in experiences and outcomes
• Planning for the future

We looked for evidence that the service met people’s needs, and that staff treated people equally and without discrimination.

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 made sure people were at the centre of their care and treatment choices and they decided, in partnership with people, how to respond to any relevant changes in people’s needs.

Plans reflected physical, mental, emotional, and social needs of people including those related to protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010. Our review of clinical records showed people were supported to understand their condition and were involved in planning for their care needs.

Staff spoke clearly about building relationships with people and delivering bespoke individual treatment plans. They emphasised that people were individuals and each treatment plan was tailored to their individual needs.

The service understood the diverse health and care needs of people, so care was joined-up, flexible and supported choice and continuity.

Staff understood the potential needs of people who chose to access the service.

The service supported people to build relationships with online or local community support groups, such as weight loss and menopause support groups, to promote and access further support.

The service supplied appropriate, accurate and up-to-date information in formats that were tailored to individual needs.

Staff communicated and provided information in ways that supported people to understand their treatment. People who used the service were provided with copies of their consultation records, which gave people details about their health and treatment options to enable informed decision-making. People were provided with information about what to do if they required support post-appointment and any other future options.

Information regarding the fees for services was discussed with people at the time of booking to ensure they were aware of the full cost of any treatment or procedure.

There were processes for dealing with information that met best practice standards of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The service followed (GDPR) to ensure that individual data was protected and maintained. They explained how data would be used and how long it would be stored for.

The service had access to interpreter services, including British Sign Language.

The service made it easy for people to share feedback and ideas, or raise complaints about their care, treatment and support. They involved people in decisions about their care.

Learning from complaints was evident and staff were able to identify changes made because of feedback from people who use the service. The service monitored complaints and identified themes and trends. Records viewed showed there were clear records maintained of complaints received, the actions taken, outcomes, learning and duty of candour in responses to complaints.

The service made sure that people could access the care, support and treatment they needed.

People were able to access care and treatment from the clinic in an appropriate timescale for their needs. All appointments for consultations were pre-booked.

People told us they could access the service to suit their needs.

The service utilised demand and capacity tools to regularly review the appointment system. They monitored availability of appointments at meetings, as well as waiting list times, to ensure demand was met.

Staff and leaders actively listened to information and identified people who may need additional support to use the service.

Before providing treatment, people completed a questionnaire and attended an online consultation, where the clinician discussed with them the risks and benefits of any treatment, as well as accessibility requirements, and answered any questions.

Staff also discussed realistic outcomes and costs, which was also available on the clinic’s website. Treatment and targets were personalised and jointly agreed between the clinician and the person using the service.

Feedback provided by people using the service, both to the provider as well as to CQC, was positive. Staff treated people equally and without discrimination.

Staff understood the importance of providing an inclusive approach to care and made adjustments to support equity in people’s experience and outcomes. For example, appointment times which suited the person’s individual needs if symptoms were more prominent at certain times of the day

The Thyroid Clinic is an online independent health service. Whilst this quality statement is not relevant for this service. This quality statement is not relevant for this service and did not form part of the assessment.