Diagnostic Healthcare Limited

Diagnostic Healthcare Limited in Altrincham is operated by Diagnostic Healthcare Limited.

Diagnostic Healthcare Ltd was established in 2004 to provide medical diagnostic imaging services of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computerised tomography (CT), ultrasound, dual-energy X‑ray absorptiometry (DEXA) bone density scans, and X-ray to both NHS and private patients of 17 years of age or older. The provider delivers diagnostic imaging services across the North West, Midlands and South of England, and has been registered to provide services in Altrincham since 2011. The provider also delivers vascular treatments at the Altrincham clinic under a joint venture with another healthcare provider, trading as Manchester Vein Clinic.

We inspected this service using our comprehensive inspection methodology. We carried out a short-announced inspection starting on 1 April 2019. The inspection included visits to the service’s static location in Altrincham, and to a sample of mobile magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computerised tomography (CT) units.

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 rate

We have not previously rated this service. We rated it as Good overall.

• 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.
• Staff provided good care and treatment, gave patients advice on food and drink preparation before their scans, and assessed and monitored patients regularly to see if they were in pain. Managers monitored the effectiveness of the service and made sure staff were competent. Staff worked well together for the benefit of patients, advised them on how to lead healthier lives, supported them to make decisions about their care, and had access to good information. Key services were available seven days a week.
• Staff treated patients with compassion and kindness, respected their privacy and dignity, took account of their individual needs, and helped them understand their conditions. They provided emotional support to patients, families and carers.
• The service planned care to meet the needs of local people, took account of patients’ individual needs, and made it easy for people to give feedback. People could access the service when they needed it and did not have to wait too long for treatment.
• Leaders ran services well using reliable information systems and supported staff to develop their skills. Staff understood the service’s vision and values, and how to apply them in their work. Staff felt respected, supported and valued. They were focused on the needs of patients receiving care. Staff were clear about their roles and accountabilities. The service engaged well with patients and its commissioners to plan and manage services and all staff were committed to improving services continually.

We found areas of outstanding practice:

• Staff knowledge of safeguarding, mental capacity act and deprivation of liberty safeguards, including the provider’s policies and procedures was assessed annually as part of their appraisal.

We found areas of practice that require improvement:

• Transvaginal probes were high-level disinfected following scans only when there was suspicion of soiling or failure of the single-use probe cover. The recently updated joint Guidelines for Professional Ultrasound from Society and College of Radiographers and the British Medical Ultrasound Society Guidelines for Professional Ultrasound Practice recommend high-level disinfection after every transvaginal scan.
• Contrary to health and safety executive recommendations, larger sharps bins were located on the floor in the mobile units, and not all sharps bins were consistently marked with the date of assembly.
• Staff were not always consistent in undertaking positive, rather than passive, patient identification checks.
• The provider did not have any patient information leaflets in languages other than English.
• Diagnostic reference levels being used at the time of the inspection were not displayed within the mobile CT scanning unit.

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

Interim Deputy Chief Inspector of Hospitals (North)