SpaMedica Liverpool has been rated outstanding following an inspection by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in November.
CQC inspected the independent eye treatment hospital, run by SpaMedica Ltd, and found a service where people benefitted from outstanding care. The hospital carries out cataract surgery and laser eye treatments for adult patients referred from the NHS.
Following the inspection, the service was rated outstanding overall and for being responsive caring and effective. It was rated good for being safe and well-led.
Karen Knapton, CQC head of hospital inspection, said:
“When we inspected SpaMedica Liverpool, we were extremely impressed by the level of care people received.
“Attending hospital for any kind of medical procedure can be daunting but staff put patients at ease immediately upon arrival, explained their treatment and were extremely caring, kind and respectful throughout their stay.
“Patients’ video stories were available to view on the website for people to watch prior to their procedure which provided reassurance, and the service offered complimentary transport to the clinic for people who needed it.
“We were impressed that patients were treated as individuals. At staff huddles, staff routinely referred to the psychological and emotional needs of patients in their care.
“We could see that all staff were happy in their jobs and enjoyed providing the best possible care for people. Existing staff felt supported and valued in their roles, and new staff received full inductions which included spending time at the service to gain an understanding of the patient experience.
“Feedback about the service was consistently positive and the whole team deserve to be congratulated for all their hard work and commitment.”
CQC inspectors found:
- 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
- The hospital consistently achieved better clinical outcomes for patients compared to similar services
- The service provided a 24-hour, seven day on call service and managed any post-operative complication in house, whenever possible, rather than sending patients to an NHS provider
- The service supported patients when it was identified they may find it difficult to comply with post-operative treatment eye drops and offered a one-off steroid injection
- Staff carried out a tailored risk assessment at pre-assessment clinic for cataract surgery so patients’ post-operative medicine regime could be tailored accordingly
- The provider was short listed for an innovation award by Public Health England for reducing antibiotic resistance. The research has been published and shared internationally
- The hospital had its own accreditation (a red, amber, green rated system) for surgeons contracted to the services to ensure that patients received a positive experience.