We were recently inspected by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and have been rated ‘Outstanding’ in ‘Caring’ and received an overall rating of ‘Good’. The CQC is the independent regulator of health and social care in England. They make sure health and social care services provide people with well-led, safe, effective and high quality care.

We provide online services to patients via video conferencing, email and telephone. We aim to provide easy access to a consultation with a psychiatrist and ongoing support from nurse prescribers. The service prides itself on the provision of personalised care and is very open to organising shared care with patients’ NHS GPs.

Last year only 10% of providers of mental healthcare were rated outstanding in the Caring category, and we are delighted with our result[2].

The outcome of this inspection is testament to our commitment to our values: to provide compassionate, accessible, innovative, high quality care. The team has worked incredibly hard and we are all proud to be part of Psychiatry-UK.

Areas of Outstanding practice

The report[3] quoted the following as ‘outstanding’ practice:

“Patients told us that the provider had changed their lives by offering a responsive and efficient consultation and diagnosis. We heard about examples where patients who had previously been too unwell to work had returned to work as a result of the provider’s input and prescription of the right medication.”

“One of the founders of the organisation had attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and with this and the feedback from patient involvement groups, had managed to steer the ethos of the company to ensure their practises reflected the needs and wishes of people with ADHD.”

“The provider had started to take on NHS contracts to support people on a long waiting list to access an appointment. Patients we spoke with said they had been waiting for years to be seen and after finally being seen by the provider were able to move on with their lives.”

“Due to consultants working for the provider living in various parts of the world and working in different time zones, the provider was able to offer appointments to patients at any time of the day or night.”

The report also noted:

  • “The service was easy to access.”
  • The service was available to adults and children.
  • “Patients were normally offered an appointment within 96 hours. Patients could choose a psychiatrist on the website, view the next upcoming appointment and book onto that. All patients using the service at the time of our inspection said that they were offered an appointment within four days.”
  • “Patients told us that by having a consultation and a diagnosis with this provider, they could resume a fulfilling life due to having the correct medication prescribed.”
  • “Since February 2019, the provider received 500 ratings from patients with 99% of those rating them five out of five stars.”
  • “Feedback from patients, those who were close to them and stakeholders was continually and highly positive about the way staff treated people.”
  • “There was a strong, visible person-centred culture.”
  • “Staff were highly motivated and inspired to offer care that was kind and promoted patients’ dignity.”
  • “Staff …showed determination and creativity to overcome obstacles to delivering care. Patients’ individual preferences and needs were always reflected in how care was delivered.”
  • “One patient said the provider had saved their life as they were finally given a correct diagnosis; others said that the provider had literally changed their life beyond their expectations and that their consultation was one of the best patient experiences they’ve had in their lives.”
  • “Staff felt respected, supported and valued. “
  • “The teams had a good track record on safety. The service managed patient safety incidents well. Staff recognised incidents and reported them appropriately.”
  • “Patients said the provider was incredibly well–led with good safeguarding practices and that they received a very clear and concise service.”
  • “The provider deliberately attempted to remove barriers for people who might have difficulties accessing services, for example, those with disabilities or anxiety disorders that prevented them accessing face to face treatment.”
  • “‘The provider had strong governance arrangements in place around information technology..”
  • “The provider worked collaboratively with clinical commissioning groups to acquire contracts that took over some NHS ADHD services. This meant that NHS wait times for these services were reducing and patients were not having to wait a long time for an appointment.”

 

Dr Andy Montgomery

Medical Lead

 

 

[1] www.psychiatry-uk.com

[2] Data taken from CQC Care Directory March 2020 https://www.cqc.org.uk/files/cqc-care-directory-ratings-2-march-2020

[3] https://www.cqc.org.uk/location/1-697998342