Dorking Hospital Outpatients Department

Updated 3 November 2021

Dorking Hospital Outpatients Department provides outpatient appointments for a number of specialities. Outpatient appointments were delivered by specialist doctors and consultants who also have practicing privileges in local healthcare settings; both NHS and independent health. The service refers patients for diagnostic tests or ongoing surgery at the local NHS trust and local independent hospitals.

The service provides outpatient appointments at two other sites, we did not inspect these sites during this inspection. The majority of outpatient activity is run from the outpatients department located in the community hospital in Dorking.

The service employs nurses and healthcare assistants and non-clinical support staff such as receptionist, medical secretaries, pathway coordinators and administration staff. GPs and consultants hold a contract with the service and can only refer patients to NHS trusts and local independent hospitals for further treatment where they had practising privileges. The service aims to give patients continuity of care, as the consultant they saw in their outpatient appointment was often the consultant carrying out their surgery.

The service provides a GP Improved Access Service (IAS), which provides additional appointments with GPs which covers evenings and weekends. For the last year this service has been virtual. The GP IAS is provided for three primary care networks, Dorking, South Tandridge and Redhill Phoenix. These three primary care networks are comprised of nine GP practices in total which have a joint patient population of approximately 100,000. The service also provides practice-based pharmacists and first contact physiotherapists which were not inspected as part of our inspection.

The service also provides nurses as part of rota for a community team for care of the elderly, which is organised by a local healthcare community provider. We did not inspect this service as part of our inspection.

The service provides a talking therapies service as part of the NHS improving access to psychological therapies programme. We did not inspect this service as part of our inspection.

The service is registered to provide the following regulated activities:

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

The service has a registered manager with the CQC.

The service had not previously been inspected, this inspection was a comprehensive inspection which meant we inspected the service to see if the care they provided was safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led.

Updated 3 November 2021

We had not previously rated this location. 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. 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 collected safety information and used it to improve the service.
• Staff provided good care and treatment, provided patients with drinks, 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, advised them on how to lead healthier lives, supported them 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.

Updated 3 November 2021

We had not previously rated this service. We rated it as good. See the summary above for details.

We rated this service as good because it was safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led.