We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 26 November 2018 to ask the service the following key questions; Are services safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led?

Our findings were:

Are services safe?

We found that this service was providing safe care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services effective?

We found that this service was providing effective care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services caring?

We found that this service was providing caring services in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services responsive?

We found that this service was providing responsive care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services well-led?

We found that this service was providing well-led care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the service was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008. This is the first inspection of Avicenna Clinic.

The clinic provides MRI scanning, outpatient consultations and spinal & musculoskeletal assessment and treatment which included pain management and intervention. There were plans and the clinic was set up to provide day surgery including but not limited to orthopedic, spinal, ENT, general surgery, gynecology and eye operations; however, these services were not being provided at the time of our inspection.

The manager of the clinic is the registered manager. A registered manager is a person who is registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

We viewed feedback from social media, which was positive regarding the environment, staff and clinical care. We did not receive any comment cards on the day of inspection.

Our key findings were:

• People were protected from avoidable harm and abuse and that legal requirements were met.
• The provider had a detailed vision for the clinic. This included introducing a wider range of consultants and minor surgeries.
• Patients received effective care and treatment that met their needs.
• The clinic was engaged with reviewing and monitoring the clinical service they offered and used this information to make changes and drive care.
• Patients were supported, treated with dignity and respect and were involved as partners in their care.
• People’s needs were met by the way in which services were organised and delivered. For example, the clinic had involved several consultants and nurses in the design of the building to ensure it was appropriate for patients and to deliver high quality services.
• The leadership, governance and culture of the clinic promoted the delivery of high quality person-centred care.
• The clinic encouraged continuous improvement and innovation. For example, the clinic provided the only open MRI scanner in the area to improve care for patients who may suffer from claustrophobia.
• Staff reported they were happy to work in the clinic and proud of the vision of the clinic.

There were areas where the provider could make improvements and should:

• Embed the new system for recording the reviews of patient safety alerts.
• Embed the new system for monitoring medicines on the emergency trolley.

Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP

Chief Inspector of General Practice