The Care Quality Commission
  • Hospital
  • Independent hospital

Chartwell Hospital

Overall: Requires improvement read more about inspection ratings

1629 London Road, Leigh On Sea, Essex, SS9 2SQ (01702) 478885

Provided and run by:
Chartwell Private Hospital and Diagnostics Limited

All Inspections

12 October 2023

During an inspection looking at part of the service

We carried out an unannounced focussed inspection of Chartwell Hospital on 12 October 2023. The purpose was to look a specific aspects of the diagnostic imaging services provided by Chartwell Hospital. Concerns were initially raised by system partners about the safety of the environment and equipment at the hospital.

This inspection was focussed and we did not gather sufficient evidence to re-rate the service.

During this inspection we reviewed the safety and cleanliness of the environment. We also checked whether medicines were being managed safely and that staff were carrying out correct procedures to make sure patients were kept safe from avoidable harm during procedures.

The service was visibly clean and staff followed the necessary infection, prevention and control procedures.

Medicines were managed safely, although medicine fridge temperatures were not always monitored, which posed a potential risk that medicines in the fridge may not be safe to use if the temperature fell outside the normal accceptable range. Senior leaders explained that this was because the endoscopy service was not currently operating at the time of the inspection and the fridge was not therefore in use.

Staff made sure scanning equipment was used safely, but did not always utilise the Mangetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) safety questionaire to help guarantee the scanner was safe to use.

01 March 2022 10 March 2022

During a routine inspection

This was the first time the hospital had been inspected at individual core service level.

We rated it as requires improvement because:

  • We rated three of the hospital’s core services as requires improvement. We rated the hospital as requires improvement for safe and inadequate for being well-led.
  • The service did not control infection risk well.
  • The service did not store all medicines safely.
  • Staff did not always follow guidance when completing the surgical safety checklist.
  • The provider did not manage safety incidents well and did not share learned lessons from them.
  • The provider did not make sure that all medical staff had completed mandatory training.
  • Staff did not always record that patients had consented for their care.
  • The service’s governance structure did not ensure performance and risks were managed effectively.
  • Staff did not always feel respected, supported and valued.
  • Staff were not always clear about their roles and accountabilities.
  • The provider did not have a clear vision and strategy.
  • The provider did not have effective assurance system in to monitor referrals to the GMC by other organisations for consultants working under practicing privileges.

However:

  • The service had enough staff to care for patients and keep them safe. Staff had training in key skills and understood how to protect patients from abuse. Staff assessed risks to patients, acted on them and kept good care records.
  • Staff provided good care and treatment and gave them pain relief when they needed it. Managers made sure staff were competent. Staff worked well together for the benefit of patients, supported them to make decisions about their care, and had access to good information.
  • 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.