Newmedica Community Ophthalmology Service was operated by Lincolnshire Newmedica Limited. It was an ophthalmology clinic that provides surgical procedures in addition to pre-surgical assessment clinics. The surgical procedures mainly consist of cataract surgery, with 903 operations between January 2018 and December 2018.
The service has had a registered manager since 2017, when it was first registered with CQC. We inspected this service using our comprehensive inspection methodology on 15 May 2019.
To get to the heart of patients’ experiences of care and treatment, we ask the same five questions of all services: were they safe, effective, caring, responsive to people's needs, and well-led? 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 service was a surgical service.
We have not rated this service before. We rated it as Good overall because:
- The service had enough staff with the right qualifications, skills, training and experience to keep patients safe from avoidable harm and to provide the right care and treatment. Managers regularly reviewed and adjusted staffing levels and skill mix, and gave bank, agency and locum staff a full induction.
- The service managed patient safety incidents well. Staff recognised and reported incidents and near misses. Managers investigated incidents and shared lessons learned with the whole team and the wider service. When things went wrong, staff apologised and gave patients honest information and suitable support. Managers ensured that actions from patient safety alerts were implemented and monitored.
- The service provided care and treatment based on national guidance and evidence-based practice. Staff protected the rights of patients in their care.
- The service made sure staff were competent for their roles. Managers appraised staff’s work performance and held supervision meetings with them to provide support and development.
- Leaders operated effective governance processes, throughout the service and with partner organisations. Staff at all levels were clear about their roles and accountabilities and had regular opportunities to meet, discuss and learn from the performance of the service. Staff treated patients with compassion and kindness, respected their privacy and dignity, and took account of their individual needs.
- People could access the service when they needed it and received the right care in a timely way.
- Leaders had the integrity, skills and abilities to run the service. They understood and managed the priorities and issues the service faced. They were visible and approachable in the service for patients and staff. They supported staff to develop their skills and take on more senior roles. The leadership drove continuous improvement and staff were accountable for delivering change.
- There were high levels of staff satisfaction across all equality groups. Staff were proud of the organisation as a place to work and spoke highly of the culture.
- There were consistently high levels of constructive engagement with patients and staff, including all equality groups.
- Innovative approaches were used to gather feedback from people who use services and the public, including people in different equality groups.
However:
- The sound level in the minor operations room was not compliant with HTM03-01 (Heating and ventilation of health sector buildings HTM 03-01). The 49dba (target 45 dba or below) sound level is due to the air flow within the theatre space. Ear protection is offered to staff and patients.
Following this inspection, we told the provider they should make three improvements, even though a regulation had not been breached, to help the service improve. Details were at the end of the report.
Ann Ford
Deputy Chief Inspector of Hospitals (North)