Quality standards

What quality measures does BUPA Wellness have in place?
How qualified are the people I will see on the day?
If I have a comment or complaint, what should I do?

What quality measures does BUPA Wellness have in place?

BUPA Wellness is committed to delivering a high quality professional service.

ISO9001:2000 quality management

We currently operate under the guidelines of the ISO9001:2000 quality management system. As part of this, we operate a stringent clinical standards policy with full internal audit of all procedures. All staff also undergo regular appraisal through the BUPA Positive Performance Management process.

In our last audit, we received the following comments from the auditors, SGS Yardsley:

"It is evident that a great deal of thought and commitment has been given to developing the system to meet the requirements of ISO 9001:2000 and incorporate business and clinical needs"

"All staff involved in the audit process demonstrated excellent knowledge and ownership of the key processes and the documented QMS"

"Excellent systems in place to monitor customer satisfaction"

"Very well managed centre with adherence to system requirements evident"

"Staff are proactive in problem solving and demonstrated contingency plans in place to enable patients to receive blood resulted on the day of assessment when the lab equipment is not functioning"

"Excellent controls in evidence in all areas. Communication is particularly good"

Clinical governance

We are committed to quality in all clinical areas and manage this through our clinical governance policy.

Clinical governance is defined as "a framework through which the organisations are accountable for continuously improving the quality of their services and safeguarding high standards of care by creating an environment in which excellence of clinical care will flourish".

It requires that as an organisation we have:

• quality improvement activity eg audit
• a process for monitoring
• internal and external reviews
• clear policies to manage risk
• clinical incidents reporting
• a clear complaints handling policy
• management and reporting of poor performance

We are registered with the Healthcare Commission

This organisation requires that all our procedures and policies place the client as the most important stakeholder, and that we ensure client safety at all times through clear policies and procedures.

BUPA Wellness Centres are regulated and inspected a minimum of once a year by the National Care Standards Commission. A copy of the latest inspection report is available from:

Healthcare Commission PVH
Finsbury Towers
103-105 Bunhill Row
London, EC1Y 8TG

How qualified are the people I will see on the day?

We choose our doctors carefully; normally they will have been qualified for at least five years and have a broad background of medical experience. Most will have a higher degree - MRCGP, MRCP or equivalent. All will have undergone a training programme to familiarise them with the concept of health assessment and BUPA Wellness protocols. All are subject to an initial three-month appraisal and then annual appraisals thereafter, with regular notes audits and report checks.

Our health advisers are either qualified nurses or exercise physiologists, both of whom have undergone a two-week full time training programme in performing health assessments. This includes training in all aspects of life including nutrition and diet, advice on alcohol consumption, exercise programming and the benefits of exercise, and the effects of smoking on health. They are subject to ongoing performance appraisals.

If I have a comment or complaint, what should I do?

We are always pleased to hear about aspects of our service that you have particularly appreciated. We also want to hear about any problems you have experienced, so that we can deal with them speedily and improve our service for the future.

If something goes wrong, here's a simple procedure to ensure that your concerns are dealt with quickly and effectively. If you have a complaint about any aspect of our service, we would like to address this straightaway. If possible therefore, please speak to a member of staff at the centre. All centres have a complaints handler who has had specific training. Or you may prefer to talk to the centre manager.

If we cannot satisfactorily resolve your concern there and then and you wish to make a complaint by telephone or in writing, please call or write to the centre manager.

We will aim to give you a written acknowledgement of your complaint within 24 hours of receipt. A full response will be made within 20 working days. All complaints are dealt with confidentially and impartially.

If required, your complaint will be referred to the regional manager and may be escalated to the managing director.

We keep a record of every complaint and look at how many we receive and the reasons. We use this information along with our customer surveys to help make sure we continually improve the service we provide.

This procedure does not affect your legal rights.