• Doctor
  • Urgent care service or mobile doctor

Practice Plus Group Urgent Treatment Centre, Southampton

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

Fanshawe Wing, Royal South Hants Hospital, Southampton, Hampshire, SO14 0YG 0333 999 7613

Provided and run by:
Practice Plus Group Hospitals Limited

Latest inspection summary

On this page

Background to this inspection

Updated 9 June 2017

The Royal South Hants Minor Injuries Unit located within the Royal South Hants Hospital offers treatment, advice and information on a range of minor injuries. The service supports patients in Southampton and the surrounding areas.

The service is provided by Care UK Clinical Services Limited under a contract to provide an NHS service.

The service is staffed by an Associate Specialist Doctor (Medical Lead), 18 senior nurse practitioners, nurse practitioners, nurses and paramedic practitioners who assess patients and offer treatment, advice and information. The nurse and paramedic practitioners are supported by 5 health care assistants. The service has onsite X-ray facilities for adults and children over two years and employs a diagnostic imaging manager and five radiographers.

The governance and management of the service is provided by a Hospital Director / Registered Manager, Operations Manager, Head of Nursing and Clinical Services, Service Manager, Lead Nurse and Clinical Educator employed by Care UK Clinical Services Limited.

This service treats minor injuries and provides treatment such as; to stitch and close minor wounds, removal of splinters, removal of foreign bodies from ears, noses; dress minor wounds, cuts and grazes, apply plaster of Paris to broken limbs and undertakes X-rays of arms and legs (for patients over two years old).

The service is unable to deal with more serious conditions such as chest pain, breathing difficulties, major injuries, severe stomach pains, pregnancy related conditions/problems and severe allergic reactions. Patients suffering from these conditions are advised on the website to attend the local emergency department, or dial 999. Where appropriate, patients will be referred or directed to the most appropriate service, for example Accident and Emergency, pharmacy, Out of Hours service or the patient’s own GP.

This is a walk-in service and patients do not need an appointment. The service is open from 7.30am to 10.00pm weekdays and 8.00am to 10.00pm on weekends and bank holidays (last patient accepted at 9.30pm). Patients are treated in order of priority rather than order of attendance. The average patient through put was 146 patients per day over the last 12 months.

We have not inspected the service before. The service is located at Royal South Hants Hospital, Level B, Brintons Terrace Southampton, Hampshire, SO14 0YG.

Overall inspection

Good

Updated 9 June 2017

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at the Royal South Hants Minor Injuries Unit on 29 March 2017. The service is rated as Good overall.

This is a nurse led walk-in service and patients do not need an appointment. Minor Injuries Units provide treatment and advice for less serious injuries, such as sprains, fractures, cuts and grazes, minor head injuries and wound infections. They do not provide management of complex and long-term conditions, or conditions likely to require hospital admission such as, chest pain and breathing difficulties.

Our key findings across all the areas we inspected were as follows:

•There was an open and transparent approach to safety and an effective system in place for reporting and recording significant events.

•Risks to patients were assessed and well managed.

•Staff assessed patients’ needs and delivered care in line with current evidence based guidance.

•Feedback from patients we spoke with or who provided feedback was consistently positive about the way staff treated them.

•Information about services and how to complain was available and easy to understand. Improvements were made to the quality of care as a result of complaints and concerns.

•The provider had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs.

• Care was delivered in line with current evidence based guidance.

•The provider was aware of and complied with the requirements of the duty of candour.

•There was a clear leadership structure and staff felt supported by management. The provider proactively sought feedback from staff and patients, which it acted on.

•The service reported monthly to the clinical commissioning group giving a full update on the key performance indicators that were being consistently achieved.

•The service had developed an improvement plan and invested to enhance the environment for staff and patients to support their needs.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice