The Care Quality Commission
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Archived: Epsom Alliance MRI Unit

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

Epsom General Hospital, Dorking Road, Epsom, Surrey, KT18 7EG (01372) 735901

Provided and run by:
Alliance Medical Limited

All Inspections

26 February 2019

During a routine inspection

Epsom Alliance MRI Unit is operated by Alliance Medical.

The service provides diagnostic imaging. We inspected this service using our comprehensive inspection methodology. We carried out an unannounced visit to the service on 26 February 2019.

To get to the heart of patients’ experiences of care and treatment, we ask the same five questions of all services: are they safe, effective, caring, responsive to people's needs, and well-led? Where we have a legal duty to do so we rate services’ performance against each key question as outstanding, good, requires improvement or inadequate.

Throughout the inspection, we took account of what people told us and how the provider understood and complied with the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

The only service provided was diagnostic imaging.

Services we rate

The service had not previously been rated. We rated it as Good overall.

We found good practice in relation to diagnostic imaging

Staff used a technique called ‘feed and wrap’ if there was a young child that was attending for a scan. Staff would put a sign up asking people in the unit to keep quiet as there was a baby trying to sleep.

Following this inspection, we told the provider that it should make improvements, even though a regulation had not been breached, to help the service improve.

Nigel Acheson

Deputy Chief Inspector of Hospitals Acute

7 November 2013

During an inspection looking at part of the service

This was a follow up inspection that related to patient safety forms not being completed properly by staff.

We saw that patient safety forms had been fully completed and where a patient had indicated a positive response to a question the radiograph had noted further details.

16 January 2013

During a routine inspection

During our visit we spoke to four patients who had a scan and one person who was caring for a patient who had a scan. They all spoke positively about their experience and said that they felt that the staff had been considerate and kind. One person told us "It's been smashing. I felt claustrophobic last time I had a scan elsewhere but today they kept talking to me and it made me feel very comfortable."

We found that people were given full information and were treated with respect and courtesy by all the staff. People's individual needs and preferences were reflected in the care they received. However we found that safety checks performed before patients entered the scanning room were not being adequately documented.

The provider had procedures and training in place to protect and safeguard patients from the risks of abuse.

The staff working within the service went about their work in a professional manner and were trained, supervised and supported in providing the service.

We found that the provider took steps to seek and analyse the feedback of patients on the service it offered. The provider also demonstrated a desire to learn from and implement changes in response to adverse events and complaints.

21 February 2012

During a routine inspection

We telephoned people who had used the service recently to seek their views. They confirmed to us that they were well informed about the procedure they were about to have. Questionnaires were given to them prior to the MRI scan regarding past medical history. We were told that appointments ran to time and all had an appointment at a suitable time of day for them. People confirmed with us that staff listened to them and were kind and helpful.