• Doctor
  • Independent doctor

Abbey Fertility Clinic

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

Unit 6, Telford Court, Dunkirk Trading Estate, Chester Gates, Dunkirk, Chester, CH1 6LT 0800 689 1317

Provided and run by:
Reproductive Medicine and Gynaecology Associates Limited

Latest inspection summary

On this page

Background to this inspection

Updated 11 September 2023

Abbey Fertility Clinic is a private healthcare service registered with the Care Quality Commission since 31 May 2022 to provide the regulated activities of diagnostic and screening procedures and treatment of disease, disorder and injury.

The service address is:

Unit 6, Telford Court

Dunkirk Trading Estate, Chester Gates, Dunkirk

Chester

CH1 6LT

The Registered Provider is Reproductive Medicine and Gynaecology Associates Limited.

This service is registered with CQC under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 in respect of some, but not all, of the services it provides.

The clinic provides private fertility healthcare to assist conception for people over the age of 18 years. Services provided include: consultation and assessment of fertility status, In vitro fertilisation (IVF), assessment of recurrent IVF failure, controlled ovarian stimulation, pre and post egg implantation consultation and ultrasound scanning. People who use the service are referred to one of two other services registered and regulated under the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Association (HFEA) for egg collection and implantation and for any required endometrial biopsy. A percentage of patients also choose to be referred to an overseas service for egg donation IVF.

The service is run from self-contained premises that comprises a consultation room, two clinical treatment rooms, a reception area and an administrative office. The premises are fully accessible and provide facilities for people who are physically disabled.

The service is open from 8am to 5pm Monday to Friday. Appointments are provided Tuesdays from 6pm to 9pm.

The service website is available at; pav@abbeyfertility.co.uk and the range of services provided can be viewed on the provider’s website.

The service lead clinician is Mr Gazvani who is a consultant gynaecologist and subspecialist in reproductive medicine and surgery. Mr Gazvani is also the CQC registered manager. The staff team includes a clinic manager and a receptionist /administrator.

How we inspected this service:

Our inspection team was led by a CQC lead inspector and included a second inspector and a nurse specialist adviser.

Prior to the inspection we reviewed a range of information including the provider’s

information request (PIR) completed by the service. During the inspection visit we carried out a tour of the premises and facilities, we looked at procedures in place, we viewed a range of records including the patient record system and we spoke with members of the staff and management team.

To get to the heart of peoples’ experiences of care and treatment, we always ask the following five questions:

  • Is it safe?
  • Is it effective?
  • Is it caring?
  • Is it responsive to people’s needs?
  • Is it well-led?

These questions therefore formed the framework for the areas we looked at during the inspection.

Overall inspection

Good

Updated 11 September 2023

This service is rated as Good overall.

The key questions are rated as:

Are services safe? – Good

Are services effective? – Good

Are services caring? – Good

Are services responsive? – Good

Are services well-led? – Good

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Abbey Fertility Clinic on 8 August 2023 as part of our inspection programme.

Abbey Fertility Clinic is a private healthcare service providing assessment and treatment for people undergoing assisted conception. The service is not required to hold a licence with the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA). Patients who require services that are registered with the HFEA are referred to other HFEA registered services in the region.

The service is registered with CQC under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 in respect of some of the services it provides. There are some exemptions from regulation by CQC which relate to particular types of regulated activities and services and these are set out in Schedule 1 and Schedule 2 of The Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014.

The service has a designated registered manager, Mr R Gazvani who is also the clinical lead. 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.

Our key findings were:

  • The service provided care in a way that kept people safe and protected them from avoidable harm.
  • People who used the service received effective care and treatment that met their needs.
  • Staff dealt with people who used the service with kindness and respect and involved them in decisions about their care.
  • The service organised and delivered services to meet the needs of people who used it. People could access care and treatment in a timely way.
  • Staff reported a good culture and systems were in place for quality control and governance.

Whilst we found no breaches of regulations, the provider should make the following improvements:

  • Carry out a formalised risk assessment to determine the range of emergency medicines and the equipment required for responding to medical emergencies.
  • Introduce a formal process for ensuring people who use the service are aware of the arrangements for data protection.
  • Develop the infection prevention and control audit to include arrangements for cleaning specific equipment.

Dr Sean O’Kelly BSc MB ChB MSc DCH FRCA

Chief Inspector of Hospitals and Interim Chief Inspector of Primary Medical Services