People in Dorset with heart disease can be reassured that they will receive the best of care.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has awarded Dorset Heart Clinic the overall rating of ‘good’ in its first report of the independent healthcare provider since its foundation in 2017. The clinic provides private cardiology services to people living in Dorset and the surrounding counties using the facilities provided by University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust.

The CQC reported that “staff treated patients with compassion and kindness, respected their privacy and dignity, took account of their individual needs, and helped them understand their conditions. They provided emotional support to patients, families and carers.”

The CQC report also commented on the consistent high levels of patient feedback provided by the service, stating: “Patients and relatives gave positive feedback about the service. Feedback data consistently showed patients rated highly the care provided by the service.”

Feedback from patients included: “I cannot fault the treatment I received from the staff on the ward, in the theatre and from the administration” and “an excellent service, staff very professional and personable. I couldn’t have wished for better.”

Dr Ohri, CEO of Dorset Heart Clinic said: “This is our first CQC report since we opened in 2017 and we are extremely pleased that the professionalism and continued commitment to providing exceptional care for our patients has been recognised in this way.”

Dr Jehangir Din, clinical director of both Dorset Heart Clinic and Cardiology Department of University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust, said: “It was clear to the CQC that we are an organisation that steadfastly prioritises one thing above all else: delivering the best possible care to patients with heart disease. Whatever else changes in the environment around us, patients will remain our focus, and our commitment to them will guide everything that we do.”

Dorset Heart Clinic offers a range of diagnostic tests including ECGs, ambulatory monitoring, echocardiography and cardiac imaging. Treatment procedures the clinic provides include coronary angiogram, coronary angioplasty, insertion of cardiac pacemakers and implantable cardioverter defibrillators. The service also offers electrophysiology and ablation. The clinic won praise from the CQC for its innovative use of medical technology in delivering diagnostic procedures, and for developing enhanced systems to improve both patient outcome monitoring and patient feedback. Under the heading of ‘Outstanding Practice’, the CQC reported: “The service used technology in innovative ways to enhance diagnostic procedures and had introduced enhanced systems to monitor patient outcomes, including opportunities for patients to provide feedback.”

Pete Papworth, designated trust board member of the Dorset Heart Clinic and chief financial officer for University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust, said: “This report and the overall rating of good is a fantastic achievement for Dorset Heart Clinic since being founded only a few years ago. I look forward to working with Dorset Heart Clinic to continue the actions taken following this review to help provide the best services for our patients.”