Archived: Surgicare Manchester Clinic

We did not speak to patients using the service on this occasion.

We found at our last inspection that staff had not received training in safeguarding while working for Surgicare. We found that some staff had little or no awareness of the different types of abuse and did not know how to report any suspicions. We required the provider to submit an action plan stating how they would address this issue.

In the present inspection we found that relevant staff had received training in safeguarding vulnerable adults. We therefore considered that Surgicare Manchester Clinic was now compliant with this standard.

Patients generally had a consultation with the surgeon, and care after the procedure, at the Surgicare clinic in Manchester. The surgical procedure itself was carried out at a hospital in Bromsgrove which is run by a related company.

At Surgicare Manchester we found there were good processes for obtaining and recording patients' consent to the proposed treatment. We found that the pre-operative medical notes were detailed and thorough, but that one part of the declaration the patient was required to sign was potentially misleading.

We found there was a good system of caring for patients before and after the procedure, and that the staff were sensitive and sympathetic to patients' needs.

We were satisfied that there were effective recruitment processes to ensure that suitable and qualified staff were appointed. We found that the complaints policy was available for patients and that the procedure for dealing with formal complaints was adequate. We considered that informal complaints should be recorded.

We found there was inadequate training about safeguarding. Staff did not all know what signs of potential abuse to look for.