Taymount Clinic Limited

On this page

• Overview
• Assessing needs
• Delivering evidence-based care and treatment
• How staff, teams and services work together
• Supporting people to live healthier lives
• Monitoring and improving outcomes
• Consent to care and treatment

At our previous inspection in 2023, the provider was rated requires improvement for effective services because we did not find evidence of information sharing with a person’s GP and lack of clinical audit. At this inspection, we found improvement in how staff involved people in decisions about their care and treatment and provided them with advice and support. Staff regularly reviewed people’s care and worked with other services to achieve this. We saw examples of clinical audits that were completed monthly and discussed in every staff meeting to ensure embedded learning. We also saw evidence of a person’s GP being consulted about all elements of FMT treatment stages.

This service scored 75 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

Feedback from people using the service was positive and people told us they were involved in any assessment of their needs and felt confident that staff understood their individual and cultural needs and treatment was tailored to their needs. All staff were aware of the needs of the patient and patients told us assessments and treatment were carried out in a professional manner. Following treatment, people were followed up for feedback every 10 days, 1 month, 3 monthly, 6 monthly and 12 monthly. Patient feedback was issued after each contact and an audit was in progress to assess the patient response to treatment, versus the staff performance of the procedure. There had been a 70% positive response rate of patient response to the treatment given in the current audit. Translation services were also offered for those who required it.

Staff would undertake a thorough assessment of needs before any procedure was agreed, ensuring the person’s needs were met and they were suitable for any treatment. The provider gave an initial consultation for 15 minutes, then if suitable for treatment, the person would be invited for an appointment. Each consultation lasted 45 minutes and there was a period of up to 3 months of consulting with the clinical director and the patient before any procedure date confirmation was agreed. This ensured, the person was fully informed through consultation before consent to proceed with treatment began. Treatment would be spread over 5-10 days with each treatment session lasting 1-2 hours. As part of the treatment, there were 2 nutritionists employed who would also discuss health promotion that included, nutrition, diet and lifestyle and stress management. Additionally, the staff offered meditation and breathing techniques to support anxiety and coping with stressful situations. Patient feedback was positive about the health promotion and felt this complimented their treatment.

All current evidence-based guidelines for Faecal Microbiota Transplantation (FMT) were monitored continuously and any changes to guidelines would be documented in a staff clinical meeting. In addition to these meetings, the provider completed clinical audits on a regular schedule of daily, monthly, quarterly, or 6 monthly to ensure people remained safe. Findings from meetings and audits were then also complimented with staff training sessions to embed the learning.

The provider told us they signed up to google alerts and any new research was uploaded onto their internal library on their server. Positive feedback received from patients praised their adherence to specified treatment protocols. The provider told us they stayed up to date with current guidance by reviewing current literature in the FMT and microbiome sector and staff received
targeted training from their Medical Officer when required. This ensured that innovations and improvements were embedded into practice to continually enhance patient outcomes and this was consistent with patient feedback.

Staff worked collaboratively through multidisciplinary case discussions and regular team meetings, ensuring clear communication and coordinated care for all patients. The service was a small team of 5 staff who maintained a relationship of trust, mutual respect and shared goals. They shared feedback and ideas and we saw evidence of collaborative team working through their meeting minutes. Reception staff ensured smooth coordination across the clinic and managed the patient diary, communicate appointment updates and kept the practitioners and the medical officer informed of any changes to schedules or patient needs. One practitioner conducted the consultation whilst another performed the treatment. There was a handover process and the medical officer had oversight over all patient cases, ensuring consistency and continuity of care.This ensured that all staff were aligned and that patient care was efficient.The person’s GP would also be written to advise of the treatment, side effects and signs of complications where patients had given consent.

The Faecal Microbiota Transplantation (FMT) practitioners were qualified Nutritionists and Nutrition Advisors, enabling the provider to provide expert, evidence-based health guidance. As part of their structured 5 or 10-day programme, patients received extensive education on diet, nutrition and gut health, with clear guidance on how to reduce symptoms and improve wellbeing. Lifestyle advice given to patients included stress management, exercise and long-term dietary maintenance. Patients received ongoing support through structured follow-ups at 1 month, 3months, 6 months and 1 year, ensuring continuous engagement and progress monitoring. Care and advice was tailored to each patient’s needs, preferences and risks.

We received positive feedback from patients who told us they were given advice on how to improve their condition through diet and advice carried through post-treatment.

At the last inspection, we found the service did not undertake clinical audits to assess the impact on quality of care and outcomes for patients. At this inspection, we found the provider had improved and they were now undertaking audits.

Faecal Microbiota Transplantation (FMT) is an innovative frontier in the field of medicine and the provider was at the forefront of its application. As this pioneering treatment continues to evolve, FMT was a relatively new medical approach and the provider acknowledged that assessing the treatment outcomes was very challenging due to different parameters such as diet, lifestyle, current medicines, mental health and pre-existing conditions. However, they committed to advance its efficacy and understanding, so they initiated the development of a comprehensive database which once completed would serve as a collaborative source where they systematically collected and analysed patient data, aiming to establish valuable statistics to assess the patient outcomes.

In the meantime, they used Microsoft Excel to input data regarding condition, symptoms, treatment and the patient follow ups extended up to one year post treatment. Data was collated during their scheduled follow ups at specific intervals. The provider also told us they continually evaluated and improved patient outcomes through both qualitative and quantitative methods and reviewed and analysed results to identify improvement opportunities. We viewed their patient data collection process which included common side effects and patient progress during treatment. There was an annual clinical audit completed as well as daily feedback sessions with staff that were documented in a meeting structure. We were shown one that incorporated a full audit of all patient consultation records and the treatments offered and would look into depth at the level of detail within the clinical notes. If there were areas for improvement, this would be discussed as a whole team and learning shared to ensure clinical consultations were accurate.

CQC received positive feedback from 47 patients prior to the inspection. Patients told us that they received high quality of care and had a massive reduction in symptoms and some patients told us they received regular follow up care after their treatment. Patients also told us that they saw immediate improvement and they experienced healing and other treatment benefits within days of treatment which didn't cause them any adverse effects and there was a significant improvement in their quality of life.

The provider's consent processes were governed by a detailed consent policy and reinforced through mandatory staff training, to ensure that all patients were provided with informed consent before any procedure or treatment. We reviewed their consent policy which was up to date and included information regarding the steps to take in the event of patient refusal of treatment. In the initial FMT consultation questionnaire, and the FMT consent form, patients were asked if they would want the provider to contact their GP to share information with them. Electronic consent was obtained for the initial questionnaire and written consent was obtained on arrival and saved onto patient records. The practice ensured consent was clearly documented and auditable and they told us staff had received training in consent and mental capacity assessments.

Patients were given access to a Patient Agreement form when they booked an online consultation and a signed copy was kept in their files. The provider told us treatment could not go ahead without the patient signing this agreement. The provider also had various consent forms for various stages in the treatment process; for example, for past patients ordering implants and for patients opting to store their FMT implants at the clinic.