Staff Found Not Washing Hands at Ealing Private Health Clinic

Damning report from inspectors for West London Diagnostic


West London Diagnostic is based at the Ealing Physio practice. Picture: Google Streetview

Staff at a private health clinic in Ealing do not wash their hands between patients, a damning report has found. The Care and Quality Commission (CQC) has branded the service as inadequate after finding equipment dirty and potentially unsafe.

West London Diagnostic Limited, based in Ealing Physio practice on South Ealing Road, provides diagnostic services and interventional procedures, including injections into the joints to ease pain and improve movement.

For one scan, patients are asked to pay £180, but this increases to £480 if they require a scan and injection for two body parts. According to their website, this is less than other private hospitals that offer the same ‘quality’ service.

CQC inspectors visited the site in September and their report, published on 20 October, shows the private service is far from satisfactory and used dirty equipment.

The report said, “We found that there was no cleaning log for the ultrasound machine to indicate when it had last been cleaned. During our inspection, we saw that the ultrasound machine had visible traces of gel, ink from a pen and dust.”

It continued, “We found that there was no cleaning log for the clinic room, chairs or examination couch. This was an infection control risk and may expose service users to the risk of harm as it was not possible to know when the room and equipment had last been cleaned. The service told us a domestic cleaner was employed to clean the clinic rooms, toilet and waiting areas but we did not see cleaning logs for these.

“We observed that although staff used gloves and used new gloves for each patient, they did not wash their hands after each patient. The UK Health Security Agency guidance for the Safe use of ultrasound gel states that for both sterile and non-sterile gel, healthcare workers must carry out hand hygiene before and after the use of ultrasound gel”

Inspectors found that the ultrasound machine had not been serviced or PAT tested which means it could be dangerous to use because it had not been checked for electrical defects.

The inspectors said, “The service did not undertake quality assurance for the ultrasound machine. This meant that the service was not ensuring that consistent, reliable results were being recorded and were not checking for deterioration of equipment performance which could negatively impact on service user safety.”

The bin was found full of needles, which inspectors warned could cause harm if moved when filled to the top. Despite the damming report, staff at the hospital were found to be caring and respectful towards patients and this element of care was rated ‘good’ by the inspectors.

The report said, “Staff gave patients and those close to them help, emotional support and advice when they needed it. We observed staff explaining the procedure in detail throughout the examination and showing scan pictures to ensure the patient understood what was happening and to allay any anxieties they had.

“Staff understood the emotional and social impact that a person’s care, treatment or condition had on their wellbeing and on those close to them. Patients we spoke with told us staff were very reassuring and supportive throughout the examination.”

Any service rated inadequate by the CQC will be re-inspected within six months and if inspectors do not find enough improvements, the watchdog may prevent the service from operating.

West London Diagnostic Limited have been approached for comment.

October 25, 2022