Kingston MRI Unit is operated by InHealth Limited. The MRI Unit at Kingston Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is a joint venture between Kingston Hospital NHS Trust and InHealth Limited. The unit was registered with CQC in March 2011. The unit provides a wide range of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans examinations to the NHS, Clinical Commissioning Groups, GPs and private patients. It provided approximately 10,000 MRI examinations per year to patients.

We inspected diagnostic imaging services using our comprehensive inspection methodology. We carried out the inspection unannounced on 8 October 2018.

The service has two MRI scanners providing diagnostic imaging services in two different areas of the hospital. The static unit is situated between the cardiac unit and the hospital main outpatient reception area, behind the Sir William Rous Unit. Internal access is achieved on level 3 of the hospital main building, and the modular unit is located adjacent to the car park opposite the Royal Eye Unit of the hospital.

The unit provides diagnostic imaging services for adults, children and young people.

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 main service provided by this unit was MRI scanning.

Services we rate

We rated this service as good overall because:

• There were adequate systems to keep people safe and to learn from critical incidents.
• The unit was visibly clean and well maintained and there were measures to prevent the spread of infection.
• There were adequate numbers of suitably qualified, skilled and experienced radiology and administrative staff to meet patients’ needs.
• There were arrangements to ensure staff had and maintained the skills required to do their jobs.
• There were arrangements to ensure people received adequate hydration that met their needs and preferences.
• Care was delivered in line with national guidance and the outcomes for patients were good when benchmarked with other InHealth locations.
• Robust arrangements for obtaining consent ensured legal requirements and national guidance were met.
• The individual needs of patients were met, including those in vulnerable circumstances, such as those living with learning disability or dementia.

Dr Nigel Acheson

Deputy Chief Inspector of Hospitals (London)

We did not speak directly with patients on this occasion.

Patients were requested to contact the MRI unit in order to confirm their appointment. This enabled the MRI team to ask further questions and provide more information to people and ascertain any individual needs.

We observed staff interacting with patients before and during the scan. Staff were polite with patients and did not appear rushed during the procedure. We heard the radiographer keeping patients updated on how much longer the procedure would take once the scan was underway. We also observed that staff reacted swiftly to any signs of discomfort.

The waiting areas and the clinic areas were clean. The floors were undamaged and there was no damage to the physical integrity of walls such as might encourage the spread of infection. The scanning table was wiped down between patients.

All radiographers were registered with the Health Professionals Council and had undergone Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) checks before commencing employment. The provider checked that professional registrations were kept up to date. All new radiographers underwent competency checks to ensure they were able to work independently.

We saw examples of patient feedback which was almost totally positive, with ratings of "excellent" or "good". Patient feedback was analysed quarterly. Any negative comments were mainly about the actual noisiness of the scanner itself, which was a common feature in all scanners.