METRO Woolwich Also known as Pitstop Clinic

Updated 13 March 2023

METRO Woolwich is provided by METRO Centre Ltd.

METRO is an equality and diversity charity. It provides health, community and youth services across London and the South East and participates in national and international projects. The charity aims to promote health, wellbeing and equality through youth services, mental health and wellbeing services, sexual and reproductive health and HIV services. METRO works with anyone experiencing issues related to gender, sexuality, diversity or identity.

The regulated activity that METRO provides is diagnostic and screening procedures. At the time of inspection, the service was not providing the regulated activity treatment of disease, disorder and injury.

The Pitstop clinic is a free HIV and sexual health screening clinic for gay men, bi-sexual men and trans people. The clinic offers HIV, hepatitis B, syphilis, gonorrhoea and chlamydia testing. The clinic served men. As the clinic was open access, it was possible that patients under the age of sexual consent could present at the clinic. In the period from 1 January 2022 to 1 January 2023, there were no patients seen under the age of 18.

METRO Woolwich has been registered with the CQC for the regulated activities of diagnostic and screening procedures and treatment of disease, disorder and injury since 16 January 2019. The service has a CQC registered manager. It provides services via its ‘Pitstop Clinic’.

The Pitstop Clinic operates a drop-in service on Wednesdays between 17:00 and 19:00 at Equitable House Woolwich. There were approximately 20 service users attending the clinic in the reporting period of October 2022 to December 2022.

The clinic is staffed by a sessional sexual health and HIV nurse in addition to a clinic lead and two support staff. The clinic also has an online portal where patients obtain test kits and obtain information and support.

The service has not previously been rated by the CQC.

What people who use the service say

We spoke to four people as part of the inspection. Patients told us that the atmosphere is relaxed and welcoming. They also told us that staff are never judgemental and are happy to listen to any concerns. Patients described staff as knowledgeable and gave examples where they were signposted to other services. Everyone that we spoke to told us that they found the timings of the clinic helpful as they were outside of normal work hours.

Updated 13 March 2023

We rated it as good because:

• We rated the service as good for all key questions.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• All four service users we spoke to were very positive about the Pitstop Clinic and the staff that worked there. Patients expressed gratitude that this type of service was available in their local area.

• 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.

• 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:

• The provider carried out staff checks at the time of recruitment and on an ongoing basis where appropriate. However, it did not collect information regarding any physical or mental health conditions that may impact a member of staff’s ability to carry on, manage or work for the purposes of, the regulated activity. During the inspection period, the provider shared a form with us that they planned to use to collect this information in the future.

• The service did not have a system in place to ensure in collected feedback from people using the service on an ongoing basis. At the time of the inspection, the service had only collected limited feedback from patients attending the Pitstop Clinic.

Updated 13 March 2023