A Gloucester eye health clinic and surgical centre has been rated Good following an inspection by the Care Quality Commission, the health and social care regulator for England.
In a new report released this week from an inspection in February, the regulator rated Newmedica Gloucestershire Good across all areas of treatment and care.
The clinic and surgical centre, based at Aspen Medical Centre in Horton Road, was found to be safe, effective, caring, responsive to people’s needs and well-led.
Newmedica Gloucestershire provides a range of eye care and surgical services to NHS patients and those who self-refer across the county. This includes cataract surgery and aftercare, YAG laser treatment (sometimes required after cataract surgery), ocular hypertension and glaucoma monitoring, and minor oculoplastic surgery, amongst other services.
The inspection team found that the team at the clinic provided a good standard of treatment and care to patients, and that staff worked well as a team to support them throughout their experience at Newmedica.
Inspectors found that patients were treated with compassion and kindness, were treated and cared for according to their individual needs and were well-supported. Staff were also found to provide emotional support to patients, families and carers, and made sure that everyone involved understood the care and treatment the patient would receive.
The clinic was found to plan care to meet the needs of local people, and it was noted that people could access the service when they needed it and did not have to wait too long for treatment.
All patients at Newmedica Gloucestershire are asked to fill in a questionnaire after their treatment, and inspectors found that 98% of respondents said they were extremely likely or likely to recommend the service to friends and family. They spoke to five surgical patients during the inspection, all of whom felt involved in their care and understood what their treatment would entail.
Nigel Kirkpatrick, consultant ophthalmologist and partner at Newmedica Gloucester, said: ‘We are pleased that the Care Quality Commission has rated our service as Good, and also that we consistently receive great feedback from our patients. It is really important to us that they feel involved in their care, and feel like they are treated as individuals, and it is clear from this report that they do.
‘We’re really proud of our team, especially after the challenges all of us have faced over the last two years. We will keep on striving to deliver an even greater service to our patients and would like to thank our local partners for their ongoing support.’