InPhase MRI scanning service rated inadequate by watchdog

The CQC said it had to postpone parts of its announced inspection in December due to the pandemic

An MRI scanning service has been issued with a warning notice to make "significant improvements" after inspectors rated it inadequate.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) said it had "concerns" over the governance process at InPhase Mobile MRI Services Ltd which affected patient care.

The West Yorkshire firm was inspected for the first time in late 2021 after registering with the watchdog in 2018.

The company said it was working to correct the CQC's concerns.

Based in Sowerby Bridge, InPhase provides mobile scanning to NHS and private patients.

Since the start of the Covid pandemic, staff had been delivering screening services using MRI equipment owned by NHS trusts, according to the CQC.

During the announced inspection on 7 December 2021, CQC assessors found:

• 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

As a result, the CQC said a warning notice was issued which said InPhase needed to make "significant improvements to its governance processes".

'Immediate action'

The health watchdog added that the firm did have "enough staff to keep patients safe from avoidable harm and to provide the right care and treatment".

It also said the service was inclusive, with managers creating "a culture that respected, supported and valued their staff" with staff bonuses and flexible working pattern incentives.

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 added that the firm had subsequently taken "immediate action".

"We will continue to monitor the service and expect to see rapid improvements and we will inspect again to ensure this is the case," she said.

However, the CQC confirmed it had been forced to postpone parts of its inspection due to the pandemic.

In a statement, InPhase Mobile MRI Services Ltd said it was "extremely disappointed with the inspection outcome" and that it "put patients at the heart of everything we do".

"We have raised our own concerns with regard to the fragmented and incomplete nature of the inspection process and we hope to be re-inspected in full within the next three months, as per the advised CQC criteria," it added.