We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 11 December 2017 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.

Background

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.

CQC last inspected this service on10 January 2014. That was an unannounced inspection and the service met all standards assessed.

Doctorcall Manchester is a private medical clinic that provides screening, diagnosis and treatments for patients from across the country. Treatments include physiotherapy, sexual health, GP appointment and occupational health for businesses as well as oil, gas and other specialist medicals. The service treats adutls and children.

The service is registered with CQC under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 in respect of some, but not all, of the services it provides. There are some exemptions from regulation by CQC which relate to particular types of service and these are set out in Schedule 2 of The Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. Those occupational health related services provided to patients under a contractual arrangement through their employer and physiotherapy are exempt by law from CQC regulation. Therefore, they did not fall into the scope of our inspection.

A registered manager was in post at this location. 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.

As part of our inspection we asked for Care Quality Commission (CQC) comment cards to be completed by patients prior to our inspection visit. We received 39 comment cards which were all very positive about the standard of care received. Comments included; ‘Very helpful, pleasant and informative,’ ‘Received good advice and treatment,’ ‘Staff were great, environment was clean, hygienic and welcoming. Relevant questions were asked and answer were listened to, felt at ease throughout’ and ‘Excellent service.’

Our key findings were:

• There were policies and procedures in place for safeguarding patients from the risk of abuse. Staff had received training in safeguarding.
• Patients’ needs were assessed and treatment was discussed and planned with the patient and consent obtained prior to treatment being given.
• Staff felt supported and had access to appropriate training.

• Opening times of the service were clearly displayed on the website and in the patient information guide.

• There was a system in place to manage complaints.
• There were systems in place to monitor and improve quality and identify risk.

• Patient satisfaction views were obtained.

• The premises were clean and personal protective equipment (PPE) was readily available.

• An induction programme was in place for staff.

• There was a clear vision to provide a safe and high quality service. Staff felt supported by management and worked well together as a team.

• The doctor we spoke with and the registered manager were aware of and complied with the duty of candour.

There were areas where the provider should make improvements:

• The registered manager in line with their recruitment policy should continue to ensure full information is obtained and held on all staff files.

• All doctors employed should undertake level 3 safeguarding training.

• The registered manager should ensure the continued completion of the domestic cleaning schedule to evidence the actual cleaning undertaken.

• The registered manager should ensure continued regular checks of the defibrillator to ensure it is good working order in the event of an emergency.

At the time of our visit to this location we were only able to speak with one patient, who was totally satisfied with the service he received. We gathered evidence about the quality of service provided using a variety of different methods, including the examination of documents and records and reviewing surveys completed by people, who had previously attended the clinic. We found people's needs were appropriately met and consent to care and treatment had been obtained. The recruitment processes adopted were thorough and the quality of service provision was regularly assessed and monitored. We also toured the premises and found all areas to be clean and hygienic. We did not find any concerns with any outcome areas assessed on this occasion.

We were unable to speak with people using the service because individual treatments could be highly personal due to the nature of the services provided at Doctorcall. We gathered evidence of people's experiences of the service by reviewing completed questionnaires following treatment. People indicated that the information, treatment and support they received was provided in accordance with their wishes and that they were kept fully informed during the consultation process of how treatments could be provided and what the cost would be.