Services we rate

We rated this service as  good overall.

We found good practice in relation to diagnostic imaging:

• The service provided mandatory training in key skills to all staff and made sure everyone completed it.
• Staff understood how to protect patients from abuse and the service worked well with other agencies to do so.
• The service had suitable premises and equipment and looked after them well.
• Staff completed and updated risk assessments for each patient.
• The service had enough staff with the right qualifications, skills, training and experience to keep people safe from avoidable harm and to provide the right care and treatment.
• Staff kept detailed records of patients’ care and treatment.
• The service followed best practice when prescribing, giving, recording and storing medicines.
• The service managed patient safety incidents well.
• The service provided care and treatment based on national guidance and evidence of its effectiveness.
• Staff gave patients enough food and drink to meet their needs and improve their health.
• Staff assessed and monitored patients regularly to see if they were in pain.
• Managers monitored the effectiveness of care and treatment and used the findings to improve them.
• The service made sure staff were competent for their roles.
• Staff of different kinds worked together as a team to benefit patients.
• Staff understood their roles and responsibilities under the Mental Health Act 1983 and the Mental Capacity Act 2005.
• Patients were treated with dignity and respect. The interactions we observed showed staff being professional and compassionate. We heard staff speak to patients in a friendly yet professional manner.
• Referrals were responded to rapidly. Patients could be offered immediate appointments in case of an emergency.
• Timely reporting was monitored and facilitated with IT systems allowing results to pass quickly to referrers. Urgent or unexpected findings triggered an immediate process, ensuring results were seen promptly by consultants.
• Company values had been reviewed and refreshed with staff involvement. Corporate functions supported clinical activity at site level with policies, procedures, resource and effective communication cascaded to ensure that provision met objectives for patient care.
• We found an open and candid approach to incident and complaint management. Staff we talked with understood their role to ensure candour was routinely applied.
• Managers across the service promoted a positive culture that supported and valued staff, creating a sense of common purpose based on shared values.

We found areas of practice that require improvement in diagnostic imaging:

• Not all staff working in the clinical area were bare below the elbow.
• Some policies were outdated and in need of review.
• There was no local risk oversight to make sure that there was adequate responsibility, accountability and effective management of current risks at a local level, except for the fire and MRI risk assessments.
• The service was in the process of embedding a formalised staff appraisal programme but this fell below the expected standard of 100% completion.