Private Medical 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. Our review of clinical records showed patients were supported to understand their condition and were involved in planning for their care needs. They were also involved in decisions about their care.

The service understood the diverse health and care needs of people and had built a portfolio of services to meet the needs of their service users. There were systems in place to provide continuity of care. People were referred efficiently between specialists within the service for example, when a patient assessed by a GP required referral to their adult psychiatrist.

The service supplied appropriate, accurate and up-to-date information. The service had access to interpreter services, including British Sign Language. Information about services and pricing was available on the provider’s website, which did not have options to translate it into other languages. Limited physical media were provided but information was available in reception areas about how to complain and providing feedback. Staff emailed information regarding follow up care or signposting to other services.

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 and told them what had changed as a result. We saw complaints were managed in line with the practice’s policy. Learning from complaints was evident and staff were able to identify changes made as a result of patient feedback, including complaints. The service was registered with the Independent Sector Complaints Adjudication Service (ISCAS) which is a voluntary subscriber scheme for independent healthcare providers that provides independent adjudication on complaints. People could provide feedback online and QR codes were available to link people to digital review sites.

The service made sure that people could access the care, support and treatment they needed when they needed it. People could book appointments online, in person and by telephone. Appointments were conducted in person, by phone or by video call and were available at evenings and weekends. At some locations clinic rooms were only accessible by stairs however, patients with mobility issues could be seen on the ground floor and this was clear on the website when booking. Not all locations had automatic doors, but doorbells or access intercoms and ramps were available to facilitate wheelchair access. All locations had accessible toilets.

Staff and leaders actively listened to information about people who are most likely to experience inequality in experience or outcomes and tailored their care, support and treatment in response to this. Staff treated people equally and without discrimination. Leaders proactively sought ways to address any barriers to improving people’s experience for example, leaders aimed to provide affordable independent healthcare that allowed most people to be able to access their service. They also negotiated costs with patients who were in financial difficulty, whose circumstances changed during treatment or who were experiencing long waits to access NHS services for example, ADHD assessments for children.

People were supported to choose appropriate treatments and where appropriate to access NHS services where ongoing care and treatment was likely to be required for example, people diagnosed with dementia.