Background to this inspection
Updated
19 March 2019
Royal Manchester Eye Hospital is a large specialist ophthalmic teaching hospital that provides a comprehensive secondary care service to the population of Central Manchester population and a tertiary ophthalmic service to North West England and beyond. Acute services are accessed by a population beyond central Manchester.
The surgical service treated adults and children and young people with five theatres. There is a 17 bedded in patient area with a surgical assessment lounge that has accommodation for eight patients and five side wards. There is a day surgery facility with 16 chairs. Surgical treatment is also provided at Trafford and Withington.
The out-patient department sees a quarter of the out-patient activity of the trust and services are provided across the trust. There are two shop fronts in the north and south of the city which provide a range of services for patients.
Updated
19 March 2019
We had not rated this service before. We rated it as outstanding because:
- There were systems and processes in place to keep people safe. Staff had received training and were competent in their roles. Infection risk was controlled and there had been no reportable infections in the last year. There were enough staff to keep people safe from avoidable harm and staff reported incidents and these were investigated by managers and there was feedback to staff.
- The service provided treatment based on national guidelines. Multi-disciplinary team working produced the best outcomes for patients and the effectiveness of services was measured. There was a culture of innovation and learning and staff received protected time for research. New roles were being developed to address gaps in service provision and to develop staff.
- Care was holistic and feedback from patients was extremely positive. Patients were supported at the hospital and in their communities and there was specific support for children and their families. There was psychological support for patients if necessary.
- The service supported patients with additional needs and this was individualised. There was ongoing work for children in the transition from children’s’ to adult’s services. There were waiting list pressures due to issues in the health economy and capacity issues and the service had addressed these with new ways of working.
- Clinical leadership across all professions was very strong and there was a positive culture in the hospital. Senior managers were aware of the issues across the health economy and of the financial issues that affected the hospital. Risk was well managed and there were systems and processes in place to improve patient safety and improve quality.
However:
- Not all patient records were fully completed and there were issues around the availability of patient records for out-patient clinics.
Updated
19 March 2019
We hadn’t rated this service before. We rated it as outstanding because:
- The service was working across the health economy to standardise treatment and to set standards of practice. There was a culture of learning and continuous development to improve services and patient outcomes. New roles were being developed, implemented and audited to address gaps in staffing.
- The hospital was leading the implementation of new techniques for surgery and training colleagues across the country in these techniques which were improving patient outcomes.
- Services were safe and there were systems and processes in place to maintain and improve patient safety. Staffing levels were good and staff had received appropriate training for their role.
- The service provided compassionate care for patients and privacy and dignity was respected. There was emotional support for patients and their relatives.
- There was additional support for patients with cognitive impairment, autism and learning disabilities. Young people were well supported in the transition from children’s services to adult services.
- Leaders were capable and experienced and there was strong multi-professional leadership from all professions at the hospital. There were systems in place to improve patient safety and to improve performance; risk was well managed and there was improving staff engagement. All staff recognised a positive culture at the hospital and were proud to work there. Senior staff were very proud of their workforce.