We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 10 January 2018 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.
Sportswise Limited was founded in 1997 and provides medical, physiotherapy and allied health support to patients who have sustained a sports related injury or who suffer from musculoskeletal injury or disorder to patients privately and are not commissioned by the NHS. The service is registered for two activities, Treatment of Disease, Disorder or Injury and Diagnostic and screening procedures (Ultrasound). The provider is located on the ground floor in a building within the Eastbourne campus of the University of Brighton. Services are provided Monday to Thursday 8am to 8.30pm, Friday 8am to 5.30pm and on Saturday from 8.30am to 12.30pm. Services are provided to adults and children aged five to eighteen years of age.
The medical director, 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.
31 people provided feedback about the service both face to face and via comment cards all of which was positive about the standard of care they received. The service was described as excellent, professional, helpful and caring.
Our key findings were:
- There was a transparent approach to safety with demonstrably effective systems in place for reporting and recording incidents.
- The service routinely reviewed the effectiveness and appropriateness of the care it provided. It ensured that care and treatment was delivered according to evidence-based research or guidelines.
- Information about services and how to complain was available and easy to understand.
- Staff involved and treated patients with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.
- The practice was proactive in seeking patient feedback and identifying and solving concerns.
- The culture of the service encouraged candour, openness and honesty.
- Staff were up to date with current guidelines and were led by a proactive management team.
- Systems were in place to deal with medical emergencies and staff were trained in basic life support.
- There were systems in place to check all equipment had been serviced regularly.
There were areas where the provider could make improvements and should:
- Review the procedure of receiving and cascading MHRA alerts.
- Review infection control procedures and whether to replace the dignity curtain in the treatment area.
- Review the process of DBS checks for chaperones in order to ensure that fit and proper persons are employed.
- Review whether to install a hearing loop and consider providing access to an interpreter service.
- Review whether to provide a written business continuity plan.