GenesisCare Windsor

GenesisCare Windsor is operated by Genesis Cancer Care UK Limited. The centre provides diagnosis and treatment to patients over 18 years old.

The centre has a radiology department which provides diagnostic imaging to diagnose new cancers, this includes mammography, ultrasound, computerised tomography (CT), positron emission tomography–computed tomography (PET-CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

The service offers a range of chemotherapy treatments in a private suite.

The service delivers therapeutic radiotherapy, involving the planning and delivery of radiotherapy treatments. The service offers advanced radiotherapy techniques for precision targeting of cancers. These include: surface guided radiotherapy treatment (SGRT), image guided radiotherapy (IGRT) and volume modulated arc therapy (VMAT) as a type of intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT).

The service has a theranostics service which uses a radioactive isotope and diagnostic imaging to seek and treat hard to reach cancers.

The service has an outpatient department which provides the following services: a one-stop breast service, urology, haematology, minor operations and biopsy. These clinics offer diagnosis of cancer or other illnesses. The outpatient department also offer patients appointments with their oncology consultant.

The centre offers a wellbeing centre and an exercise clinic.

There are no overnight beds.

We inspected this service using our comprehensive inspection methodology. We carried out an unannounced inspection on 2 February 2021 and an announced inspection on 11 February 2021.

To get to the heart of patients’ experiences of care and treatment, we ask the same five questions of all services: are they safe, effective, caring, responsive to people's needs, and well-led? Where we have a legal duty to do so we rate services’ performance against each key question as outstanding, good, requires improvement or inadequate.

Throughout the inspection, we took account of what people told us and how the provider understood and complied with the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

The main service provided by this centre was Oncology. Where services relate to Oncology, we have reported under the Medical Care section of the report. Where our findings on Medical Care – for example, management arrangements – also apply to other services, we do not repeat the information but cross-refer to the Medical Care service level.

The service also provided non-oncology services, but this was a small proportion of the centre activity. We reported non-oncology services under the Outpatients section of the report.

Our rating of this location went down. 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 collected safety information and used it to improve the service.
• Staff provided good care and treatment and gave patients enough to eat and drink. 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 from Monday to Friday, the service had 24-hour telephone triage service 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 to plan and manage services and all staff were committed to improving services continually.

However:

• In corridors of the centre we found cleaning cupboards which were unlocked. Inside these cupboards cleaning items, subject to control of substances hazardous to health (COSHH) requirements, were found on cleaning trolleys and therefore not locked away securely.
• In the radiotherapy department, we observed a breach of confidential personal information. During our inspection, we observed the list of patients scheduled for the day appear on the screen in the treatment room; whilst the patient was in there.