SpaMedica Liverpool receives glowing report from industry inspectors

SpaMedica Liverpool – which was previously rated as ‘Good’ in 2019 – has now been given the highest possible rating, ‘Outstanding,’ following a second inspection at the end of last year. 

In a report published this morning, inspectors from the Care Quality Commission gave the hospital top marks for being effective, caring and responsive to people’s needs, noting that “standards were significantly higher than national or comparative averages,” “staff were exceptionally kind and caring,” and “feedback from patients was continually positive about the way staff treated people.” 

SpaMedica Liverpool – which carried out over 10,000 NHS cataract surgeries between November 2021 and October 2022 – has waiting times well below the current NHS target of 18 weeks. Surgical outcomes at the hospital were excellent, with only 0.28% of patients experiencing the most common complication of cataract surgery (almost four times lower than the national benchmark). Surgeons were able to take advantage of the dry lab training facility at a nearby SpaMedica hospital to practise and refine their skills. 

SpaMedica was also praised for helping to reduce antibiotic resistance by prescribing patients with anti-inflammatory eye drops after surgery, instead of antibiotic eye drops. The company’s large-scale research study, which showed that anti-inflammatory eye drops deliver better post-operative results than antibiotic eyedrops, was shortlisted for an innovation award by Public Health England. 

Other highlights from the report included: 

• The hospital planned care in innovative ways to meet the needs of local people and improved patient outcomes by giving significant consideration to their individual needs.  
• The hospital provided a 24/7 on-call service and managed any post-operative complications in house, whenever possible, reducing the pressure on local NHS services. 
• The hospital offered a free transport service to patients who would otherwise be unable to access its services. 

Hospital manager, Alexandra Aggrey, said: “We’re thrilled with the outcome of the inspection report and I’m incredibly proud of the team for their hard work and commitment to giving the best possible care to our patients. The outstanding rating is a fantastic achievement for our hospital and the community we serve, and we’ll look forward to helping many more patients achieve better vision and get back to doing the hobbies they love.” 

Liverpool is the 10th SpaMedica hospital to achieve an ‘Outstanding’ rating, consolidating the company’s reputation as a provider of choice for thousands of patients across the country. 

SpaMedica Liverpool’s full inspection report is available to view on the CQC website.