Newmedica Community Ophthalmology Service

Updated 20 April 2022

Newmedica Community Ophthalmology Service is operated by Gloucestershire Newmedica Limited. The service has been operating since 15 September 2017.

Gloucestershire Newmedica Limited is a partly owned local operating subsidiary of New Medical Systems Limited. New Medical Systems Limited is owned by Specsavers Eye Care Services Limited.

New Medical Systems Limited and its partly owned local operating subsidiaries are referred to as The Newmedica Group.

The Newmedica Group is commissioned by NHS organisations to provide ophthalmology services (clinical eye care) to people who are patients being treated by the NHS. The service also offers private patients access to services which accounts for around 5% of their overall activity.

The service provides ophthalmic surgery and outpatient care from Aspen Centre, Horton Road, Gloucester, GL1 3PX. The service primarily serves the communities of the South West.

The service is registered with the Care Quality Commission to provide the following regulated activities:

• Diagnostic and screening procedures
• Surgical procedures
• Treatment of disease, disorder or injury.

All surgery undertaken by the service is adult, day case, ophthalmology surgery. The majority of the service is provided for NHS funded patients. All surgery is undertaken under local anaesthesia. There are no overnight patient stays.

The provider has another location, Newmedica Brighouse, also in Gloucester, this is the main theatre site. The theatre at Aspen Centre is used for additional theatre space and is used on average one day a week. Since September 2022 outpatient appointments are also carried out at Swindon NHS Health Centre. They have identified this as a satellite clinic. We did not inspect these services as part of this inspection.

A manager had been registered with the CQC since 2017. The location was first registered in September 2017. This was our first inspection of this location.

In the reporting period from 1 February 2021 to 31 January 2022 1,585 operations were undertaken within the location; approximately 1,400 of these operations were cataract removal.

In the same period there were 4,119 follow up outpatient appointments and 1,356 new outpatient appointments. The majority of these patients were seen as part of the cataract surgery pathway or glaucoma treatment.

The main service provided at this location was surgery with the majority of outpatient appointments being provided as part of the surgical pathway. Where our findings for outpatients, for example management arrangements, also apply to other services, we do not repeat the information but cross-refer to the surgery section.

Updated 20 April 2022

This is the first time we have inspected this location. We rated it as good because:

• The service had enough staff to care for patients and keep them safe. Staff had training in key skills, understood how to protect patients from abuse, and managed safety well. The service-controlled infection risk well. Staff assessed risks to patients, acted on them and kept good care records. They managed medicines well. The service managed safety incidents well and learned lessons from them.
• Staff provided good care and treatment. Managers monitored the effectiveness of the service and made sure staff were competent. Staff worked well together for the benefit of patients, advised them on how to lead healthier lives, supported them to make decisions about their care, and had access to good information. Key services were available seven days a week.
• Staff treated patients with compassion and kindness, respected their privacy and dignity, took account of their individual needs, and helped them understand their conditions. They provided emotional support to patients, families and carers.
• The service planned care to meet the needs of local people, took account of patients’ individual needs, and made it easy for people to give feedback. People could access the service when they needed it and did not have to wait too long for treatment.
• Leaders ran services well using reliable information systems and supported staff to develop their skills. Staff understood the service’s vision and values, and how to apply them in their work. Staff felt respected, supported and valued. They were focused on the needs of patients receiving care. Staff were clear about their roles and accountabilities. The service engaged well with patients and the community to plan and manage services and all staff were committed to improving services continually.

However:

• Mandatory training for bank staff was below targets set by the service.
• Complaints were not always concluded in a timely way.

Updated 20 April 2022

We rated this service as good overall and good for being safe, caring, responsive and well-led. Effective is not rated in outpatients.

The majority of outpatient appointments were provided as part of the surgical pathway. The main service was surgery. Where arrangements were the same, we have reported findings in the surgery section.

Updated 20 April 2022

This was the first inspection of this location. We rated it as good. See the summary above for details.