SpaMedica Hull

Updated 19 August 2022

SpaMedica Hull is operated by SpaMedica Ltd. The service offers cataract surgery and yttrium-aluminium-garnet laser (YAG) capsulotomy services for NHS patients. YAG capsulotomy is a special laser treatment used to improve your vision after cataract surgery.

The service saw only NHS patients. Patients came mostly from Hull, East Yorkshire, North Yorkshire and also Lincolnshire.

The service’s clinical services are provided over two floors. The service has a ground floor operating suite with one theatre providing cataract surgery and a discharge lounge. Their pre- and post-operative assessment areas were located on the first floor. The service did not treat children.

The service is registered to provide the following regulated activities:

• Diagnostic and screening procedures

• Surgical procedures

• Treatment of disease, disorder and injury

The service is managed by a registered manager supported by an ophthalmic team which consists of:

Ophthalmology consultants

Optometrists

Registered nurses

Healthcare technicians

Operating department staff

Administration staff

The registered manager had been in post since March 2021. This is the first time we have inspected and rated this service. We inspected this service using our comprehensive inspection methodology. We carried out an unannounced inspection on 18 May 2022. To get to the heart of the patients’ experience we ask the same five questions of all services: are they safe, effective, caring, responsive to people’s needs and well led.

Updated 19 August 2022

We had never inspected this service before. We rated it as good because:

• 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. The service disposed of clinical waste safely. 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 provided good care and treatment, gave patients enough to drink, and gave them pain relief when they needed it. Managers monitored the effectiveness of the service and made sure staff were competent. Staff worked well together for the benefit of patients. They supported patients to make decisions about their care, and had access to good information. Key services were available six 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 the community to plan and manage services and all staff were committed to improving services continually.

However:

• Staff did not always keep their mandatory training up-to-date.
• Staff did not always adhere to best practice when wearing personal protective equipment (PPE).
• Managers could not always keep the number of cancelled appointments to a minimum. They had the second highest number of cancelled appointments in the region in relation to this provider.

Updated 19 August 2022

We had not inspected this service before. We rated it as good because:

• Managers alerted staff when they needed to update their training. 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 provided good care and treatment, gave patients enough to drink, and gave them pain relief when they needed it. Managers monitored the effectiveness of the service and made sure staff were competent. Staff worked well together for the benefit of patients. They supported patients 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 the community to plan and manage services and all staff were committed to improving services continually.

However:

• Staff did not always keep their mandatory training up-to-date. At the time of our inspection 76% of service staff had completed their mandatory training overall which did not meet the provider’s 85% target. New starters impacted on these results.
• Staff did not always adhere to best practice when wearing personal protective equipment (PPE). We observed two clinical staff members wearing facemasks below their nose. One of these staff members was directly talking in close contact to a patient with the mask below their chin.
• At the time of our inspection the service’s total staff turnover rate was 31%. This was above the provider target of 21% or less for 2022. The service used bank and agency staff to cover shortfalls.
• Managers could not always keep the number of cancelled appointments to a minimum due to staffing shortages. The service had 13 (16) cancelled appointments within 24 hours for the rolling three months up to 15 December 2021. This was the second highest number of cancelled appointment in the region.