People we spoke with told us that they were very happy with the level of care and treatment they received from Optimax Laser Eye Clinic- Peterborough. One person told us that they could not rate the staff, “High enough.”

We looked at evidence which demonstrated to us that people were involved in the planning of their own care and treatment. We saw documented evidence that people were provided with information at each step. One person told us that, “At each stage (I) felt involved and able to make my own choice. (I) did not feel under any pressure.” Another person told us that, "(I) was given plenty of information."

We saw detailed care records provided to people using the service, which detailed each stage of their care treatment process.

There were service reports in place for all of the equipment being used. We saw evidence that staff had received the appropriate training before using any equipment to ensure that people were not placed at risk of harm.

There were effective staffing levels in place to ensure the safety and well-being of people who used the service.

We found that the provider had good staff and care records which were kept in a secure location. In addition, we saw that the provider kept records of their building maintenance and equipment.

People told us they were very happy with the services provided by Optimax Laser Eye Clinic. We examined evidence which demonstrated to us that before people received any care or treatment, they were asked for their consent. We saw that detailed plans of care were provided to people to help them make their own informed decisions about the treatment they would require.

We examined evidence which demonstrated to us that people were involved in the planning of their own care treatment. People were provided with detailed information about the treatment options available to them.

We saw that there were effective systems in place to reduce the risk and spread of infection at the clinic.

Effective recruitment procedures were in place to ensure staff members were suitably qualified to provide care and support to people using services provided by Optimax Eye Laser Clinic.

People were regularly asked for their views about the care and treatment provided to them. People could make suggestions about the services provided and where appropriate those suggestions would be acted on.

All of the people who we spoke with had positive comments about their experience as patients of the clinic. One person summarised this by saying, "The attention to me as a person has been first class."

They all said that they had the right amount of information before, during and after their treatment. We were told that this prepared them in a way that alleviated any anxieties due to the amount of information provided and were clear as to what they were to experience during the assessment, treatment and post treatment stages.

Each of the people we spoke with said that they were satisfied with the outcome of their treatments and considered that it was, "Worthwhile" having it. One person told us that they regretted not having their treatment sooner as this would have saved them expense in buying spectacles and contact lenses to help them with their sight.

People who we spoke with told us that they felt, "Safe" and considered that the staff were competent and trained to do their job well. One person told us that that had a high regard for the communication skills and patience of a member of staff, in particular, which alleviated their pre-existing anxieties and said that they left the clinic feeling, "Very relaxed".

Optimax Laser Eye Clinics Peterborough is operated by Optimax Clinics Limited and was established in 2006. The service is set over two floors and facilities include two reception areas, three consultations rooms, pre and post treatment areas, and a laser treatment room.

The service provides laser vision correction treatment under topical anaesthesia to adults only. If a patient required further care or surgery using anaesthesia or sedation, as an example, lens replacement surgery, patients were referred for private surgery to another Optimax Clinics Limited branch. If patients had lens surgery in another Optimax Clinics Limited branch, the Peterborough location provided pre and post-operative care. Patients are self-referring and are self-funded.

We inspected this service using our comprehensive inspection methodology. We carried out the announced part of the inspection on 15 November 2017, along with an unannounced visit on 22 November 2017.

To get to the heart of patients’ experiences of care and treatment, we ask the same five questions of all services: are they safe, effective, caring, responsive to people's needs, and well led? Where we have a legal duty to do so we rate services’ performance against each key question as outstanding, good, requires improvement or inadequate.

Throughout the inspection, we took account of what people told us and how the provider understood and complied with the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

Services we do not rate

We regulate refractive eye surgery, but we do not currently have a legal duty to rate them when they are provided as a single specialty service. We highlight good practice and issues that service providers need to improve and take regulatory action as necessary.

We found the following areas of good practice:

• Staff received a three-day induction and refresher training.

• Laser staff had additional training to ensure they were competent to perform their duties safely.

• Laser safety measures were in place and were monitored.

• Staff were competent to carry out duties allocated to them.

• The service managed staffing effectively and had processes in place to ensure that staff had the appropriate skills, experience, and training to keep patients safe and to meet their care needs.

• Staff members were positive about their working experience feeling supported, to be part of a team and had worked in the service for a number of years.

• The process for obtaining consent was in line with the Royal College of Ophthalmologists (RCOph) guidelines.

• The clinic was visibly clean and well maintained.

• Access to the service and booking appointments was easy.

• Interpreter services were available for patients whose first language was not English.

• The provider collected patient feedback and analysed this to make improvements/changes to the service.

• When informed of concerns throughout the inspections the service took timely action to mitigate risks.

However, we also found the following issues that the service provider needs to improve:

• We found the inside of the medication cupboard in the laser room was dusty.
• We found unlabelled medicine in the medication cupboard that did not show the name of the medicine or an expiry date.
• We found three single use instruments that were out of date.
• We found an identified risk that had not been properly assessed, monitored and reflected in the service’s risk register.

Following this inspection, we told the provider that it should make improvements, even though a regulation had not been breached, to help the service improve.

Heidi Smoult

Deputy Chief Inspector of Hospitals