The Care Quality Commission
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Archived: BPAS - Chichester

St Richards Hospital, Spitalfield Lane, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 6SE 0345 730 4030

Provided and run by:
British Pregnancy Advisory Service

All Inspections

11, 13 September 2013

During a routine inspection

We were not able to speak with many people using the service. It is a small clinic and people have surgery shortly after they arrive. Those we were able to speak with, briefly, told us they had been well informed about what to expect during their initial consultation. They said it was still a bit daunting but that everyone was very kind.

Staff we spoke with said they felt they provided a very good and safe service. One member of the theatre team told us, "Surgery is carried out safely by competent surgeons and competent anaesthetists. It is a good clinic and the staff team all get along really well."

We spoke with representatives from the NHS trust who leased the premises. We were told there were not aware of any concerns about how the clinic was being managed. The manager of the Day Surgery Unit from the trust told us they met with the BPAS team regularly and discussed some aspects of the clinic performance as part of the leasing agreement. They told us there had been some initial minor issues when the clinic first opened but that the two parties had worked together and resolved these.

Overall, we felt that the clinic was providing a safe service that met the individual needs of people. We saw that staff treated people respectfully and kindly. We observed one nurse talking with a young patient who was recovering from surgery. She was gentle and maternal in her approach, patting her arm whilst encouraging the young woman to drink.