Archived: The rTMS Centre

Updated 25 September 2019

The rTMS Centre Sheffield is a standalone service run by Yadda Ltd.

The service provides repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation for the treatment of depression and anxiety to people aged 18 and over.

Following an initial screening questionnaire patients attend an assessment appointment with the clinic manager and consultant psychiatrist before commencing the treatment. Typical treatments comprise of 20 daily sessions of transcranial magnetic stimulation over a period of four weeks for the treatment of depression and 10 sessions for the treatment of anxiety.

The service address is:

3 Skye Edge Ave

Sheffield

S2 5FX

Initial assessments are usually completed on a Saturday with treatment sessions available Monday to Friday.

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at the rTMS Centre on 14 August 2019. Our inspection team was led by a CQC mental health inspector with the support of specialist advisor with experience of the treatment provided by the service.

How we inspected this service

Before visiting, we reviewed a range of information we hold about the service. Prior to the inspection we reviewed any notifications received, and the information provided from pre-inspection information request.

During our visit we:

• Spoke with all staff at the service
• Looked at the equipment and rooms used to deliver the treatment
• Reviewed three case records, personnel files and clinical policies and procedure relating to the running of the service.

To get to the heart of patients’ experiences of care and treatment, we always ask the following five questions:

• Is it safe?
• Is it effective?
• Is it caring?
• Is it responsive to people’s needs?
• Is it well-led?

These questions therefore formed the framework for the areas we looked at during the inspection.

Updated 25 September 2019

This service is rated as Good overall.

The key questions are rated as:

Are services safe? – Requires improvement

Are services effective? – Good

Are services caring? – Good

Are services responsive? – Good

Are services well-led? – Good

We carried out an announced comprehensive at the rTMS Centre on 14 August 2019 as part of our inspection programme to ask the service the following key questions; Are services safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led?

This was the first inspection of this location.

Our findings were:

Are services safe?

We found that this service was not always providing safe care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services effective?

We found that this service was providing effective care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services caring?

We found that this service was providing caring services in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services responsive?

We found that this service was providing responsive care in accordance with the relevant regulations

Are services well-led?

We found that this service was providing well-led care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the service was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

The service provides repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation for the treatment of depression and anxiety.

The Clinic 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.

The service is registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 in respect of the services it provides.

Our key findings were:

• Care was highly person centred. Patients felt listened to and told us they felt staff genuinely cared for their wellbeing.
• The service monitored patient outcomes and patients had regular opportunities to discuss their care and treatment with the consultant psychiatrist.
• Staff assessed risk for all patients as part of the initial assessment
• Care was delivered in line with current evidence based guidance and standards.
• Systems and arrangements for managing medicines, were not in line with the Medicines Act 1968.
• Systems were not in place to identify where equipment had not received an annual service.

We spoke with two patients and received feedback from one patient via a comment card. All the feedback we received was positive and all the patients told us the service was very approachable and patient focused. Patients spoke positively of both the clinic manager and the consultant psychiatrist and told us there was a feeling that both genuinely cared and wanted the best for the patients.

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

• The provider must ensure medication is administered in accordance with the Medicines Act 1968

The areas where the provider should make improvements are:

• The provider should improve systems to maintain equipment in accordance with the manufactures recommendations.

Dr Paul Lelliott

Deputy Chief Inspector of Hospitals (Hospitals- Mental Health)