26 Nov 2019
During a routine inspection
We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at MASTA (Medical Advisory Service for Travellers Abroad) Travel Clinic - Richmond on 26 November 2019 as part of our current inspection programme. We previously inspected this service on 9 October 2018 using our previous methodology, where we did not apply ratings.
MASTA Travel Clinic - Richmond provides travel health services to both adults and children travelling for business or leisure. The service is a designated yellow fever vaccination centre. Since October 2019 the service has also provided a yearly flu vaccination service.
The service also provides certain corporate healthcare services which are not regulated by CQC. This service is registered with CQC under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 in respect of some, but not all, of the services it provides. There are some general exemptions from regulation by CQC which relate to particular types of service and these are set out in Schedule 2 of The Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. MASTA Travel Clinic – Richmond, services are provided to patients under arrangements made by their employer. These types of arrangements are exempt by law from CQC regulation. Therefore, at this service, we were only able to inspect the services which are not arranged for patients by their employers.
Services are available to any fee-paying patient. All services incur a consultation charge, and treatment and intervention charges vary, depending on the service provided. Information from the service indicates that, at the time of the inspection, an average of eight patients per day are seen.
The lead nurse based at the site is the registered manager. A registered manager is a person who is registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
We received 13 completed CQC comment cards, all of which were fully positive about the service. Patients commented that the nurse at the service was caring, informative and respectful. Other comments stated the service was efficient, the environment was clean and comfortable, and that the nurse worked well with child patients.
Our key findings were:
- The service provided care in a way that kept patients safe and protected them from avoidable harm.
- There was an open and transparent approach to safety and a system in place for recording, reporting and learning from significant events and incidents. The service had clear systems to manage risk so that safety incidents were less likely to happen. When incidents happened, the service learned from them and reviewed their processes to implement improvements.
- There were clearly defined and embedded systems, processes and practices to keep people safe and safeguarded from abuse, and for identifying and mitigating risks of health and safety.
- Patients received effective care and treatment that met their needs.
- The service organised and delivered services to meet patients’ needs. Patients said that they could access care and treatment in a timely way.
- The service reviewed the effectiveness and appropriateness of the care it provided. It ensured that care and treatment was delivered according to evidence-based guidelines and best practice.
- Patients told us that staff treated them with kindness and respect and that they felt involved in discussions about their options.
- Patient satisfaction with the service was high.
- Staff had the appropriate skills, knowledge and experience to deliver effective care and treatment.
- The service took complaints and concerns seriously and responded to them appropriately to improve the quality of care.
Dr Rosie Benneyworth BM BS BMedSci MRCGPChief Inspector of Primary Medical Services and Integrated Care