Healthcare Improvement Scotland, the national healthcare improvement body and regulator of private healthcare services for Scotland, has published the latest inspection reports for private healthcare services.
In Scotland, private hospitals and private clinics provided by doctors, nurses, dental care professionals or midwifes are required to be registered with our organisation. We currently have over 500 private healthcare services across Scotland that are registered or completing registration.
It is only by choosing a private healthcare service registered with Healthcare Improvement Scotland that patients can be assured that the services they use meet the high standards of quality expected of registered services.
Our organisation published the inspection reports for a total of six private clinics and hospitals across Scotland.
The focus of the inspection to the Spire Hospital, Murrayfield, was on the safe delivery of the service’s provision of systemic anti-cancer therapy (SACT).
We used the Healthcare Improvement Scotland SACT Governance Framework as the basis for the inspection.
The inspection reports can be seen below:
Glasgow:
Grampian:
Ayrshire:
Lothian:
Western Isles:
As the healthcare improvement body for Scotland, Healthcare Improvement Scotland is also the regulator for private healthcare services, including private hospitals, hospices, private psychiatric hospitals and clinics, which provide a wide range of services from cosmetic procedures to wholly private dentistry, health screening, travel clinics and others.
Inspections of services are carried out to ensure that the providers comply with standards and regulations.
Lynsey Cleland, Director of Quality Assurance at Healthcare Improvement Scotland, comments: “It is vital that the people of Scotland who opt to use private healthcare services receive the best quality and standard of care, which is why these clinics must be registered with us and must submit to regular inspection.
“The majority of the private clinics we regulate provide cosmetic interventions. It is crucial that we provide assurances for the public that these procedures are carried out in safe and regulated environments.
“Registered clinics are required to demonstrate that they take the safety of their clients seriously, that they operate to the highest standards and are committed to continually improving the service they provide for clients.
“People should always check that a clinic is registered with Healthcare Improvement Scotland before undertaking treatments.”
You can find out more about the regulation of private clinics in Scotland by listening to our podcast episode: