Lymington Urgent Treatment Centre

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• Overview
• Person-centred Care
• Care provision, Integration and continuity
• Providing Information
• Listening to and involving people
• Equity in access
• Equity in experiences and outcomes
• Planning for the future

We assessed and inspected against one quality statement; Equity in experiences and outcomes. There was a proactive approach to understanding the needs and preferences of different groups of people and to delivering care in a way that meets these needs, which was accessible and promoted equality. This included patients with protected characteristics under the Equality Act, people who may be approaching the end of their life, and people who were in vulnerable circumstances or who had complex needs. The facilities and premises had been remodelled to meet an increasing level of patient demand and new triage process. The service had been innovative in developing resources to facilitate and widen access for people with specific access needs. For example, the provider hosted ‘Esther café’ sessions to understand patient experiences and devised communication tools in liaison with the community.

This service scored 79 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

We did not look at Person-centred Care during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Responsive.

We did not look at Care provision, Integration and continuity during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Responsive.

We did not look at Providing Information during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Responsive.

We did not look at Listening to and involving people during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Responsive.

We did not look at Equity in access during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Responsive.

We received 3 CQC feedback on care reviews in the past 12 months which highlighted that the service provided excellent and efficient care. Healthcare professionals were caring and treated patients with dignity and respect. The service had collated and reviewed patient feedback by month. In August 2023, we saw 11 patient cards had been received which had all been reviewed and responded to by the service. The service also sent 403 feedback invitations through automated phone surveys (SMS) and received 62 responses. The service achieved an overall score in August of 95% positive feedback rating. We identified that patient feedback scores had been rated 95% or above from August to November 2023. If patient's raised concerns, the service contacted them where possible.

There was a proactive approach to understanding the needs and preferences of different groups of patients and to delivering care in a way that meets these needs, which is accessible and promotes equality. This included people with protected characteristics under the Equality Act, people who may be approaching the end of their life, and people who are in vulnerable circumstances or who have complex needs. Patient feedback was collated through comment cards at the urgent treatment centre as well as through automated phone surveys (SMS) following patient treatment and these were used to inform service improvements. Service leaders reviewed individual patient feedback and contacted patients to follow-up where possible. Patient feedback was taken seriously by the service, it was reported within governance meetings and discussed with staff. Examples of patient feedback were used as part of staff appraisals as well as published within weekly staff newsletters. The service worked with 'Friends of Lymington' to assist with processes to update patient clinical information such as Body Mass Index (BMI) and other athropometry data to records as a means to support primary care monitoring for children. The service worked with the local commissioners to develop and offer courses for 'strengthening parental relationships' as a way of supporting vulnerable patients. Easy read posters and leaflets were available throughout treatment centre. The service met the accessible information standard and provided further access needs for patients such as a hearing loop installed at the treatment centre, as well as access to interpreters. The service went above and beyond to improve person-centred care by hosting community 'Esther cafe' events throughout the year as a patient feedback forum, which was focused on patient treatment outcomes and improving access for vulnerable patients.

Staff told us that there was a person-centred approach to delivering care and went above and beyond to improve accessibility to vulnerable patient groups. We saw evidence of patient feedback being collated and reviewed monthly with improvements to service provision where needed. The facilities had been remodelled to meet an increasing level of patient demand and new triage process. Leaders told us the service made changes to the premises to improve access arrangements. This included improved signage within the urgent treatment centre as well as expanding the patient waiting area to include a paediatric area. This also allowed for more clinical treatment rooms. Leaders told us that a review of patient feedback identified a need for staff to complete further equality and diversity training which had been completed by all staff in September 2023. Staff told us there were opportunities to attend educational sessions held by the service based on recent patient safety events or urgent care treatment guideline updates. The service had developed a patient service’s guide in easy read format to assist patients in understanding how the service worked across the local care system and what treatment pathways were available. The service had a process to identify military veterans and provided access for further support. The service recognised the need to offer appropriate environment needs of neurodiverse patients. Leaders told us that the service had implemented a storyboard to explain their service for children with Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) using links with local specialist schools. Feedback demonstrated that these patients had gained a greater understanding of the patient journey. Staff told us the service had developed an alert mechanism for patients who may be in an abusive relationship, to seek further assistance in a discrete way. The service developed a specific patient information leaflet on 'tick bites' in response to local prevalence.

We did not look at Planning for the future during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Responsive.