VisitHealth

Updated 22 April 2022

Visit Health provide a home visiting service to patients to carry out diagnostics and treatments. They operate within the M25 area. At the time of the inspection, the provider employed seven staff and were providing around 200 diagnostic and treatment appointments a month. The service provides wound care, blood testing, Electrocardiogram (ECG) monitoring, functional diagnostics, pathology and COVID-19 testing in patient homes. COVID -19 testing is not regulated by CQC. The service aims to provide care to both adults and children. There were no children receiving care at the time of our inspection.

The service operates seven days a week. Patients booked appointments through the service’s website using a booking form. Patients could also be referred from other services for example GP surgeries. The provider’s terms and conditions were included on the booking form.

This inspection was Visit Health’s first inspection. The service has not previously been inspected by CQC. The provider registered with CQC in 2018 and is regulated to provide the following regulated activities:

• Treatment of disease, disorder or injury,
• Diagnostic and screening procedures.

The provider had a registered manager and nominated individual appointed at the time of our inspection. The provider moved locations approximately two weeks prior to our inspection and their statement of purpose did not reflect the change in the location. The statement of purpose did not accurately reflect services Visit Health currently provide, some services the provider planned to deliver in the future were also included.

We carried out our site visit over one day on 9 February 2022. The providers application to change their registered location to their current premises was processed and completed on the 28 February 2022, although the provider had been operating from this site since 1 February 2022.

What people who use the service say

The service gathered feedback from patients using the service through online review websites. Patients could leave reviews on websites or email the service directly to provide feedback. Managers collated the information on a database and told us this was shared with staff. We reviewed the feedback and found the majority of the feedback was positive.

Patients we spoke with told us they were happy the service and the care provided. Some described the care they received as “excellent’’ and “fantastic”.

Updated 22 April 2022

Visit Health is an independent community health service that provides blood testing, wound care, ECGs and blood pressure monitoring to patients in their own homes. This was Visit Health’s first inspection.

We rated Visit Health as good because:

• The service had sufficient 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 managed infection, prevention and control well. Staff assessed risks to patients, acted on them and kept good care records. The service managed safety incidents well.
• Staff provided good care and treatment. 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 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.
• 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 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 were not having regular 1-1 supervision.
• We found fire risk assessments for the office base were not completed or up to date and the service had no processes for monitoring who was present at the building.
• Processes for ensuring equipment was in date needed improvement. We found seven out of date items despite staff carrying out weekly audits on equipment.
• The provider’s statement of purpose had not been updated following a change in location and did not reflect the regulated activities actually being provided at the time of this inspection.

Updated 22 April 2022