Archived: Pall Mall Medical Diagnostic Treatment Centre

Updated 14 January 2020

Pall Mall Medical Diagnostic Treatment Centre is operated by Spamedica Ltd. The service opened in 2014 and primarily serves the communities of the Merseyside and the surrounding areas offering cataract surgery and yttrium-aluminium-garnet laser (YAG) capsulotomy services for NHS patients (YAG capsulotomy is a special laser treatment used to improve vision after cataract surgery).

The hospital has had a registered manager in post since it opened. At the time of the inspection, a new manager had recently been appointed and was registered with the CQC on 11 October 2019.

Updated 14 January 2020

Pall Mall Medical Diagnostic Treatment Centre is operated by Spamedica Ltd. The service is located in Newton Le Willows, Merseyside in a building owned by another registered provider. The service had access to facilities including consulting rooms, clinical areas and a theatre. These facilities were located on the ground and second floor and could be accessed via a lift. Staff and patients had access to designated parking bays.

The service provides cataract surgery and yttrium-aluminium-garnet laser (YAG) capsulotomy services for NHS patients over the age of 18 years.

We inspected this service using our comprehensive inspection methodology. We carried out the unannounced part of the inspection on 22 October 2019. However, the service was in the process of de-registering and patient activity had ceased on the 18 October 2019. We therefore could not observe care or speak with patients on the day.

Following our inspection, we contacted five patients to gain feedback of their experience whilst receiving care from the service.

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?

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 rate

We inspected but did not rate the service as we could not collect enough information as there was no patient activity on the day of inspection.

However, we found good practice in relation to surgery:

• The service monitored the effectiveness of care and treatment. They used the findings to make improvements and achieved outcomes for patients that were consistently better than the national average.
• Key services were available seven days a week along with a 24-hour advice line to support timely patient care. Additional appointments were scheduled at weekends to meet patient demand.
• The service planned care to meet the needs of local people, took account of patients’ individual needs and worked with others in the wider system and local organisations to plan and delivery care. People could access the service when they needed it and waiting times were in line with the national standard.

• The service had enough staff to care for patients and keep them safe. Staff had training in key skills, understood how to protect patients from abuse, and managed safety well. The service controlled infection risk well. Staff assessed risks to patients, acted on them and kept good care records. They managed medicines well. The service managed safety incidents well and learned lessons from them. Staff collected safety information and used it to improve the service.
• Leaders ran services well using reliable information systems and supported staff to develop their skills. They were focused on the needs of patients receiving care. Managers were clear about their roles and accountabilities. The service told us they engaged well with patients and the community to plan and manage services and that all staff were committed to improving services continually.

We found areas of outstanding practice in surgery:

• The service achieved good outcomes that were continually monitored with patients reporting a positive experience.
• Staff told us patients were provided with the organisations "patient stories" DVD where previous patients described their experience to help relieve anxiety. Videos were included in the organisations website.
• The service offered an accreditation scheme for community optometrist.

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. Details are at the end of the report.

Ann Ford

Deputy Chief Inspector of Hospitals