We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection of RoC Private Clinic Limited on 12 February 2019 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 service has not been previously inspected.

RoC Private Clinic Limited, established in 2010, provides face-to-face GP appointments for children and adults. Services include blood tests, cervical screening, allergy testing, travel and childhood immunisations. The service has a sister-clinic in Aberdeen, Scotland. The service is supported by the sister-clinic for accounting and marketing functions and governance overview by the medical advisory committee headed by the service’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

This 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 general 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. At RoC Private Clinic Limited occupational health services are provided to patients under arrangements made by their employer, a government department or an insurance company. These types of arrangements are exempt by law from CQC regulation. Therefore, at RoC Private Clinic Limited, we were only able to inspect the services which are not arranged for patients by their employers, a government department or an insurance company.

The provider is registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) for the regulated activities of Treatment of Disease, Disorder or Injury, Diagnostic & Screening Procedures.

The day-to-day running of the service is provided by the clinic manager with support from the medical director who 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. The overall running of the service is overseen by the founder and CEO. The service also employs a GP and a receptionist. In addition, there are three consultants who work under practising privileges (the granting of practising privileges is a well-established process within independent healthcare whereby a medical practitioner is granted permission to work in an independent hospital or clinic, in independent private practice, or within the provision of community services).

As part of our inspection, we asked for CQC comments cards to be completed by patients during the two weeks prior to our inspection. Fifteen comments cards were completed, all of which are positive about the service experienced. Patients said that the clinic offered an excellent service and staff are friendly, caring, thorough and attentive. Patients said they are treated with dignity and respect.

The service proactively gathered feedback from patients. Data from 1 January 2018 shows that of 50 responses received, 92% of patients rated the service as excellent and 100% would recommend the service to friends and family.

Our key findings were:

• There were systems in place to safeguard children and vulnerable adults from abuse and staff we spoke with knew how to identify and report safeguarding concerns. All staff had been trained to a level appropriate to their role.
• The service had systems to manage risk so that safety incidents were less likely to happen. When incidents did happen, the service learned from them and improved their processes.
• The service carried out staff checks on recruitment, including checks of professional registration where relevant.
• Clinical staff we spoke with were aware of current evidence-based guidance and they had the skills, knowledge and experience to carry out their roles.
• There was evidence of quality improvement, including clinical audit but the service had not undertaken any prescribing audits.
• Consent procedures were in place and these were in line with legal requirements.
• Staff we spoke with were aware of their responsibility to respect people’s diversity and human rights.
• Systems were in place to protect personal information about patients. The service was registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).
• Patients were able to access care and treatment from the clinic within an appropriate timescale for their needs.
• Information about services and how to complain was available.
• The service had proactively gathered feedback from patients.
• Governance arrangements were in place. There were clear responsibilities, roles and systems of accountability to support good governance and management.

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

• Include prescribing and clinical notes review as part of the quality improvement schedule.

Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP

Chief Inspector of General Practice