Taymount Clinic Limited

On this page

• Overview
• Shared direction and culture
• Capable, compassionate and inclusive leaders
• Freedom to speak up
• Workforce equality, diversity and inclusion
• Governance, management and sustainability
• Partnerships and communities
• Learning, improvement and innovation

At our last inspection in 2023, we rated the service requires improvement for well-led services. At this inspection we found improvements had been made. The provider had put in place clear and effective governance processes, which supported the safe delivery of care. Staff were clear on their responsibilities and knew who was accountable for each aspect of the service.

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.

The provider had a Statement of Purpose and a shared vision and fostered a culture of continual improvement within the organisation, where all staff members were encouraged to identify and suggest improvements in the services provided.

All staff were aware and involved in designing the practice values and staff told us they were proud of the care they provided and the opportunity to give people their lives back free of gut health problems. Staff told us a patient had written a book and dedicated it to the clinic for the care they had received from all the staff. Staff focus was to extend the overall well-being of the people using the service and were in talks with other providers nationally and internationally on devising new ways to treat Faecal Microbiota Transplantation (FMT), as well as looking at ways to enhance patient experience with other methods of delivery, this included new treatments and offering enhanced emotional support.

At the time of inspection, there was a leadership change taking place with a new registered manager taking on the position.There were formal 6 monthly staff dinners and staff feedback had asked for a coffee machine which had been purchased.

One international patient praised the efficient support in logistics, regarding transfer from airport, and arranging accommodation

The provider told us that they maintained an open and supportive family environment where communication and transparency were encouraged. They had an anonymous box located in the reception area and they told us that as a small team they encouraged openness and transparency throughout all areas of work. Managers encouraged staff to raise concerns when things went wrong. During daily staff meetings, the whole team discussed and learned from clinical issues.

Staff we spoke to felt there was an open culture and that safety was a top priority, as well as feeling valued by the leaders and all decision-making at the clinic was made at team level. Staff described an open, pro-active culture and told us the leaders would ensure wellbeing by daily chats, inclusive activities which had included meals out and an escape room day out. Feedback received by CQC showed most staff felt they could speak up and raise concerns. We saw that the provider had a whistleblowing and freedom to speak up policy, to ensure all staff could raise concerns about patient care and workplace safety without fear of retribution. There was a designated freedom to speak up guardian; however, they were a clinician based in the clinic and the provider should consider how they could implement a system with an independent external guardian.

Recruitment and employment practices aligned with the Equality Act 2010 and staff received regular training on diversity, inclusion and unconscious bias. The provider also told us that equality and diversity training was also mandatory. We reviewed their equality and diversity policy which was up to date.Staff were encouraged to share suggestions and contribute to continuous improvement inall aspects of the clinic’s work.

Positive patient feedback praised the diversity of the staff in the clinic and how they spoke different languages, including French. At least 4 of the 47 patients who provided good feedback were international patients accessing this treatment and they praised how the provider cared for international patients and assisted them with arranging their accommodation whilst in the UK for treatment. The provider confirmed that they had patients from different countries and some patients described their treatment as world class.

The provider had improved their governance procedures since the last inspection. Their governance processes that were appropriate for their service and there were procedures in place that were audited on a quarterly basis; for example, clinical governance, mandatory training, complaints and data protection. The practice showed us a comprehensive policy suite that were reviewed quarterly. When a new system or process was introduced, a Standard Operating Procedure was developed and implemented and staff received training.

There was a clinical director, managing director and 2 nutritionists who worked at the service. All their qualifications were current and the clinicians were registered with the appropriate governing body .Staff we spoke with were clear on their roles and responsibilities and managers met with staff regularly to complete annual appraisals. There was a formal staff meeting held monthly that was documented. All staff access to internal systems was highly levelled with multi-factor authentication, ensuring records were kept safe.

At the last inspection, we found the business continuity plan was not up to date; however, at this inspection we found there was an up to date business continuity plan in place and all staff could tell the inspection team of what contingency measures were in place in the event of a premises, fire, or emergency issue, such as flooding. Risk assessments were in place; for example, medicines not stocked and why there was no locum use at the service. All staff were chaperone trained should this be required and chaperones were offered to all people using the service.

The provider told us that through their collaboration with Taymount Limited (Manufacturer of FMT), they had the privilege of connecting with doctors from all over the world who were interested in performing FMT treatments. Taymount Limited served as a bridge, allowing practitioners to share patient experiences and treatment outcomes, contributing to the global advancement of gut health therapies.Theirinternational partnerships included clinics in Germany, the Bahamas andSlovakia, whilst supporting the global exchange of knowledge and best practice.

They also told us that their team regularly discussed opportunities for engagement in staff meetings and incorporated community awareness into their communications. They published educational materials on their website and social media platforms and collaborated with other healthcare professionals to promote evidence-based approaches to gut health. They told us that they held regular review meetings involving relevant stakeholders to discuss progress, challenges and next steps in sustaining the improvements; however, we were not provided with these meeting minutes on inspection. They also operated an open door policy for other medical professionals to visit their clinic to learn about their science and method for potential partnership and patient referral.

We saw the provider had taken active steps to improve their service since the last inspection and all highlighted areas in their Action Plan had been acted on. The provider told us they were continuously striving to improve the standards and services at Taymount Clinic, ensuring they stayed at the forefront of FMT practices. They were committed to quality, safety and innovation which remained their top priority as it was embedded within their organisational culture and daily operations. They expanded and fostered collaboration within the international medical community to make their treatment available to people worldwide. They held regular team meetings to discuss new ideas, review feedback and identified opportunities to enhance their services and improve patient outcomes.

In 2011, the provider introduced their innovative Faecal Microbiota Transplantation (FMT) standard, producing high-quality faecal microbiota implants that transformed the delivery of gut health solutions. This revolutionary treatment was made available to patients in 2012, marking another significant milestone in their journey to advance gut health treatments. In 2015, they expanded their reach by launching our first Taymount Partner Clinic in The Bahamas, bringing the benefits of their treatment to patients worldwide with gut health issues, further improving their lives.

In 2022, the provider was the recipient of the Innovation Award for Digestive Health, awarded by the Janey Loves Platinum Awards. Patient feedback was a priority in their engagement process.

Since the last inspection, the provider also introduced several significant innovations and improvements. For example, due to high patient demand, the clinical team requested their manufacturer to develop FMT capsules, offering a new treatment format to enhance accessibility and consistency. They participated in studies and research on FMT with their partner clinics and they introduced new modalities including food intolerance, enemas, detoxification to boost energy and ensure the relaxation and stimulating the colon muscle for peristalsis. Additionally, they now offered blood testing for general vitamin and mineral profiles, nutritional deficiencies and heavy metals. They were also now in the process of introducing more gut health testing.