Our key findings were:

• The service provided safe care and treatment in accordance with the relevant regulations.
• Staff had training in safety systems, processes and practices and this was monitored by managers and Transform nationally.
• The service provided staff with polices and training to keep people safe from abuse.
• Staff were aware of infection, prevention and control issues. The service had procedures and a policy in place for staff to manage infection control to minimise the risk to patients. Equipment and the environment were satisfactory and clean.
• There was adequate staffing to meet the demands of the clinics in the service.
• There was an effective system for reporting and learning from incidents and the number of incidents were low.
• The staff had the ability to assess and respond to risk and were aware of who to contact if a patient deteriorated.
• The service provided its care and treatment based on national guidance. It monitored the effectiveness of care and treatment and used the findings to improve.
• The service made sure staff were competent for their roles. Managers appraised staff’s work performance and held supervision meetings with them to provide support and monitor the effectiveness of the service.
• Staff worked together as a team to benefit patients. We were told surgeons, nurses and other healthcare professionals supported each other to provide good care.
• Staff understood how and when to assess whether a patient had the capacity to make decisions about their care.
• Staff cared for patients with compassion. During our inspection we saw patients being supported and cared for by the staff team. Staff provided emotional support to patients to minimise their distress. They understood that many patients were anxious about treatment or had long standing issues with body image.
• Staff involved patients and those close to them in decisions about their care and treatment.
• The service planned and provided services in a way that met the needs of local people.
• The service had processes in place to highlight mental health issues or physical issues and had a referral process to support patients if further support was needed.
• The service took account of patients’ individual needs. There were facilities for patients with disabilities to access the service on the ground floor via a lift and a buzzer system to access support.
• Patients self-referred into the service. People could access the service when they needed it.
• The service treated concerns and complaints seriously, investigated them, learned lessons from the results and shared the findings with staff.
• Managers had the right skills and abilities to run a service providing high-quality sustainable care.
• Managers promoted a positive culture that supported and valued staff, creating a sense of common purpose based on shared values.
• The service was committed to improving services by learning from when things went well or when they went wrong, promoting training, research and innovation.

Ellen Armistead

Deputy Chief Inspector of Hospitals