The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has rated the diagnostic imaging service at Mount Gould Hospital as good, following an inspection conducted in February and March.
CQC carried out the inspection at the hospital run by University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust as part of its continual checks on the safety and quality of services.
Following the inspection, the overall rating for the diagnostic imaging service and the ratings for how safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led the service is, have been rated as good.
The rating for Mount Gould Hospital remains unchanged as requires improvement.
Catherine Campbell, CQC deputy director of operations in the south west, said:
“When we visited the diagnostic imaging service at Mount Gould Hospital, we were pleased to find a positive culture with capable leaders who had established effective processes and systems to help staff deliver better care.
“Passionate staff put people using the service at the centre of their care, and this was reflected in the feedback we received. Over 98% of people rated staff as very good or good. People also told us staff explained every part of the process which helped them feel well informed.
“During our inspection, we saw how the service responded when another location had to close due to equipment failure. The team quickly made appointments available and arranged transport for people to be seen at Mount Gould Hospital on the same day. This very impressively demonstrated their flexibility and commitment to ensuring people could access the care they needed.
“We know that good leadership means better outcomes for people using services, which is what we saw here. The service had a shared vision and values that were embedded in training and built into staff appraisals, ensuring everyone knew what was expected of them. We look forward to seeing how the service continues to develop, particularly with their plans to establish a patient experience group”
Inspectors found:
- The service had a proactive safety culture based on openness and honesty, with effective processes to report and investigate incidents.
- Staff kept people safe through good infection prevention practices and maintenance of equipment and facilities.
- The service understood the diverse health needs of the local community and provided flexible, accessible care to meet them.
- Staff received appropriate training, including specialist training to support autistic people, people with learning disabilities, and dementia.
- The service worked effectively with partners across the trust's diagnostic imaging network, sharing information and learning.
The full report will be published on CQC's website in the coming days.