Blackberry Orthopaedic Clinic-Guildford

Updated 27 May 2021

Blackberry Orthopaedic Clinic - Guildford is an independent provider of specialised treatments of musculoskeletal conditions, including back pain and sports injuries, as well as pain management of chronic conditions. The service offers a range of specialist diagnostic services and treatments, which include health assessments and physiotherapy. The service also offers health assessments and screening in partnership with BUPA Health Clinics. It works with customers to assist in empowering them to optimise their own health, through nutritional and smoking cessation advice, along with exercise advice and behavioural change.

The Registered Provider is Blackberry Clinic Limited.

Blackberry Clinic Limited has nine other clinics located across the south of England and in Scotland.

Blackberry Orthopaedic Clinic - Guildford is located at Meridian House, 9-11 Chertsey Street, Guildford, Surrey, GU1 4HD.

The service is open from 8am to 4pm on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, 8am to 6pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays and 7.30am to 3pm on Saturdays.

The service is run from a suite of rooms on the ground floor, within shared premises in the centre of Guildford, which are leased by the provider. The service comprises a suite of consultation and treatment rooms, a waiting room and administration area. Patients can access toilet facilities on the ground floor. Access to the premises via a ramp is available to patients with limited mobility.

Updated 27 May 2021

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection of Blackberry Orthopaedic Clinic - Guildford on 23 January 2020. We identified breaches of regulation 12 (Safe care and treatment) of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 and issued a requirement notice. The service was rated as requires improvement for providing safe services. It was rated as good overall and good for providing effective, caring, responsive and well led services.

We carried out this inspection of Blackberry Orthopaedic Clinic - Guildford to confirm that the service now met the legal requirements in relation to those breaches of regulation and to ensure sufficient improvements had been made. As a result of this inspection, the service is now rated as good for providing safe services.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic CQC has continued to regulate and respond to risk. However, taking into account the circumstances arising as a result of the pandemic, and in order to reduce risk, we have conducted our inspections differently.

This inspection was carried out in a way which enabled us to spend a minimum amount of time on site. This was with consent from the provider and in line with all data protection and information governance requirements.

This included:

• Speaking with staff in person and using video conferencing
• Requesting documentary evidence from the provider.
• A short site visit.

We carried out an announced site visit to the service on 28 April 2021. Prior to our visit we requested documentary evidence electronically from the provider and spoke to staff using video conferencing.

Blackberry Orthopaedic Clinic - Guildford is an independent provider of specialised treatments of musculoskeletal conditions, including back pain and sports injuries, as well as pain management of chronic conditions. The service offers a range of specialist diagnostic services and treatments, which include health assessments and physiotherapy.

This service is registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 in respect of some, but not all, of the services it provides. There are some exemptions from regulation by CQC which relate to particular types of services and these are set out in Schedule 2 of The Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. Therefore, we were only able to inspect the health screening service as well as clinical consultations, examinations and treatments in general medicine for example; musculoskeletal and sports medicine.

Services are also provided to patients under arrangements made by their employer or insurance provider with whom the service user holds an insurance policy (other than a standard health insurance policy). These types of arrangements are exempt by law from CQC regulation. Therefore, we were only able to inspect the services which are not arranged for patients by their employer or insurance provider.

Blackberry Orthopaedic Clinic - Guildford is registered with the Care Quality Commission to provide the following regulated activities: Treatment of disease, disorder or injury; Diagnostic and screening procedures.

The centre manager is the registered manager. A registered manager is a person who is registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated regulations about how the service is run.

We found that the service had made improvements and was compliant with the requirement notice. In particular:

• The provider had acted to ensure safety policies and procedures were operating as intended and were followed by staff. For example, in the use of x-ray equipment.
• Arrangements to ensure that medicines were stored securely had been reviewed and clearly defined.
• The provider monitored the immunisation status of all staff, in line with their own policy.
• Storage arrangements for staff recruitment and personnel records had led to improved accessibility and oversight for local managers.
• The provider had improved the appraisal process for health advisors to include all aspects of their role.
• Staff and visitors entering and leaving the premises were documented to ensure their safety in the event of a need to evacuate the premises.
• Local managers’ understanding and awareness of performance and safety issues across all treatments and services had been improved.

The areas where the provider should make improvements are:

• Review arrangements for the retention of all records which relate to staff immunisation status.

Dr Rosie Benneyworth BM BS BMedSci MRCGP

Chief Inspector of Primary Medical Services and Integrated Care