Watchdog Rates MRI Scanning Service at InPhase as “Inadequate”

According to recent reports, The Care Quality Commission (CQC) said the pandemic caused it to postpone parts of its announced inspection in December.

After its inspection at InPhase in late 2021, the first time the West Yorkshire firm was inspected in 2021 after registering with the watchdog in 2018, the CQC said it had "concerns" over the governance process at InPhase Mobile MRI Services Ltd which affected patient care.

The MRI service firm has since said that it is working to correct the CQC's concerns. The firm based in Sowerby Bridge, provides mobile scanning to NHS and private patients.

According to the CQC, staff had been delivering screening services using MRI equipment owned by NHS trusts since the COVID pandemic began.

These are the key issues CQC assessors pointed out during the announced inspection on 7 December 2021 at InPhase

• Employees were not always given mandatory training in key skills, including how to safeguard patients
• Records of patient information were not maintained accurately and a lack of clinical audits put "people at risk of harm"
• There were no recruitment processes to employ suitable staff and identify skills gaps, risking patient safety
• Mismanagement in running the service, including patient safety incidents

It was based on these findings that it said it issued a warning notice saying that InPhase needed to make "significant improvements to its governance processes".

'Immediate action'

The firm however impressed in certain areas as the health watch added that the firm did have "enough staff to keep patients safe from avoidable harm and to provide the right care and treatment".

Additionally, the CQC said that InPhase service was inclusive, with managers creating "a culture that respected, supported and valued their staff" with incentives such as staff bonuses and flexible working pattern.

Sarah Dronsfield, the CQC's head of hospital inspection, said InPhase needed to "assess, monitor and improve the quality and safety of the service". She went further to state that the firm had after the inspection taken "immediate action".

She also said that the CQC will continue to monitor the service delivery at InPhase and expect to see rapid improvements while assuring that the commission will inspect again to ensure that service delivery is improved.

Reacting to the outcome of the inspection, spokesperson for InPhase Mobile MRI Services Ltd said it was extremely disappointed adding that it put patients at the heart of everything they do. It also raised concerns with regard to what it termed the fragmented and incomplete nature of the inspection process, hoping that the firm will be re-inspected in full within the coming three months, as per the advised CQC criteria.

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