Dementech

This service is rated as Good overall. (Previously inspected but not rated before)

The key questions are rated as:

Are services safe? – Good

Are services effective? – Good

Are services caring? – Good

Are services responsive? – Good

Are services well-led? – Requires improvement

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Dementech Limited on 25 January 2022 as part of our inspection programme. This provider was last inspected, but not rated, on 3 September 2018.

Dementech provides a consultant-led outpatient service to assess and, if necessary, treat patients for a range of neurological conditions. The service provides neurology and psychiatry assessments and treatment. The service is registered with CQC under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 in respect of some, but not all, of the services it provides. Dementech also provides medicolegal services and runs clinical trials, which are not within CQC scope of registration. Therefore, we did not inspect or report on those services.

The practice 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 reviewed feedback forms and spoke with three patients and one carer.

Our key findings were:

The service provided safe care. The service had clear systems to keep people safe and safeguarded from abuse. Staff assessed and managed risks to patient safety.

The service controlled infection risk well. Staff used equipment and control measures to protect patients, themselves and others from infection. They kept equipment and premises visibly clean.

The service had enough staff with the right qualifications, skills, knowledge, training and experience to keep patients safe from avoidable harm and provide the right care and treatment.

Staff developed individualised care and treatment plans informed by a comprehensive assessment in collaboration with patients. Care and treatment were planned and delivered in line with current legislation and best practice guidance produced by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and suitable to the needs of the patients.

Leaders ensured that staff received training and appraisals. Staff worked well together.

However, systems and processes to assess and monitor the safety and quality of the service were not robust. Gaps in oversight and assurance increased the potential risk of poor quality or unsafe care being delivered to patients.

The areas where the provider must make improvements as they are in breach of regulations are:

• The provider MUST implement systems and processes to ensure effective oversight of clinicians they contract with and the delivery of safe, high quality care (Regulation 17(1)(2)(a))
• The provider MUST ensure there is a system of regular audits in place and that this includes regular audits of prescriptions (Regulation 17(1)(2)(a))

The areas where the provider should make improvements are:

• The provider SHOULD ensure there are systems in place to check equipment regularly to ensure it is fit for purpose
• The provider SHOULD implement systems to make sure no out of date medicines are stored on the premises

Jemima Burnage

Interim Deputy Chief Inspector of Hospitals (Mental Health)