We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at the above provider on 30 October 2018 to ask the service the following key questions; are services safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led?

Our findings were:

Are services safe?

We found that this service was providing safe care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services effective?

We found that this service was providing effective care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services caring?

We found that this service was providing caring services in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services responsive?

We found that this service was providing responsive care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services well-led?

We found that this service was providing well-led care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the service was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

SpaMedica Sheffield opened in October 2017 and is an independent sector provider of ophthalmology services. The core service provided is cataract surgery which is offered to NHS patients. The service has rapidly expanded since its inception and during October 2018, 5,761 patients were seen. The provider is supported by Yorkshire ‘buddy’ sites at Wakefield and Bradford and the head office is in Bolton, Lancashire.  SpaMedica are registered with the Care Quality Commission for the regulated activities of diagnostic and screening, surgical procedures, transport services, triage and medical advice provided remotely and the treatment of disease, disorder or injury.

Feedback obtained through comment cards completed and speaking with patients during the inspection was excellent. We received 9 comment cards and spoke to 6 patients.

Our key findings were:

• On the day of inspection we noted that there were two refrigerators on the premises and although these were being monitored each day, they were not being kept within the correct temperature range for the safe storage of patient medicines. We were not shown a Standard Operating Procedure to ensure that the correct cold chain arrangements were being implemented.  Since the inspection both of these issues have been addressed.
• There was a governance framework in place which supported strategic objectives.
• There was good local leadership and a cohesive clinical and administrative team who were well supported.
• Clinicians were committed to improving the outcomes of patients and delivering quality care.
• The organisation encouraged and acted on staff and patient feedback. Patient feedback was consistently positive about the staff and the service they received.
• There was a strong focus on continuous learning and improvement across all levels of the organisation.