EOS Medical Aesthetics

This service is rated as Good overall.

The key questions are rated as:

• Are services safe? – Good
• Are services effective? – Good
• Are services caring? – Good
• Are services responsive? – Good
• Are services well-led? – Good

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at EOS Medical Aesthetics in Sunningdale, Ascot on 25 May 2023. The service was registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in April 2021. We carried out this first rated inspection as part of our regulatory functions. The inspection was undertaken to check whether the service was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014.

This service is registered with CQC under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 in respect of some, but not all, of the services it provides. There are some exemptions from regulation by CQC which relate to particular types of regulated activities and services, and these are set out in Schedule 1 and Schedule 2 of The Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014.

EOS Medical Aesthetics provides a range of independent dermatology services, including non-surgical cosmetic interventions including anti-wrinkle injections, derma fillers and permanent cosmetics, which are not within CQC scope of registration. We did not inspect, or report on, those services that are outside the scope of registration.

EOS Medical Aesthetics is registered with the CQC to provide the following regulated activity:

• Treatment of disease, disorder or injury

Therefore, we only inspected the provision of vitamin b12 injections and treatments relating to medical conditions which include treatment for excessive sweating (hyperhidrosis) and non-surgical treatments for a range of skin conditions (acne and rosacea).

The service was founded in 2018 by an Advanced Nurse Practitioner with an extensive background in aesthetic medicine who is also the CQC registered manager. A registered manager is a person who is registered with the CQC to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

Our key findings were:

• The clinic had clear systems to keep people safe and safeguarded from abuse. They used recognised screening processes to identify patients who could be at risk of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) or dysmorphophobia, a preoccupation with an imagined defect in one’s physical appearance.

• Staff were highly skilled and kept up to date in their specialist field. They reviewed and monitored care and treatment to ensure these were effective.

• Feedback from patients was consistently positive. Patient feedback demonstrated the treatment had given the patient extra confidence due to an improved appearance.

• Services were tailored to meet the needs of individual fee-paying patients. Treatments were delivered in a flexible way that ensured choice and where appropriate, continuity of care.

• The clinic had a culture of high-quality care and put their patients first. Staff focused on the needs of their patients and aimed to deliver a bespoke, natural result and experience to each and every person, in turn, patient satisfaction from various sources was positive.

We saw an area of outstanding practice:

• There was a focus and dedication on continuous learning and improvement. For example, the clinician had recently completed additional studies in cosmetic medicine and had commenced a Doctorate degree. The field of research for the Doctorate degree explored the impact of neurotoxin on mood in peri menopausal women and linked closely to the service provided at the clinic. Furthermore, there was a willingness to try new ideas for the benefit of patients and the aesthetic sector. Relevant results were shared widely, for example, through research meetings and publications, including a published review of the use of telemedicine within aesthetic medicine. There was also a record of sharing work locally, nationally and internationally. This included presenting at the Aesthetic and Anti-Ageing Medicine World Congress (AWMC) in Monaco 2022 and at an educational conference at the Royal College of Physicians in April 2023.

Dr Sean O’Kelly BSc MB ChB MSc DCH FRCA

Chief Inspector of Healthcare