Cheshire Hair Transplant Clinic Limited

Updated 17 August 2023

Cheshire Hair Transplant Clinic Limited is operated by Medispa Cheshire Limited. The provider operates multiple clinics offering a variety of cosmetic procedures. However, not all cosmetic procedures are regulated by CQC because some are outside the scope of CQC registration. As part of our inspection, the provider confirmed hair transplant surgery is the only regulated activity provided by Medispa Cheshire Limited and the surgery is only performed at Cheshire Hair Transplant Clinic. Therefore, the service is registered to provide surgical procedures and treatment of disease, disorder, or injury at this location.

The service uses the follicular unit excision (FUE) method of hair transplant surgery. In FUE, individual hair follicles are extracted and then implanted into small incisions made in the patient’s scalp. The British Association of Hair Restoration Surgery (BAHRS) and British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) consider hair transplant surgery to be a ‘clean’ surgical procedure used to treat male and female pattern hair loss.

The service registered with CQC when it began to deliver hair transplant surgery in June 2021. The service’s registered manager is directly employed by the provider and worked at the clinic before taking on the role of registered manager for the regulated activity.

Four other staff are directly involved in the delivery of the hair transplant activity at the clinic on a self-employed basis. These included a nurse, hair transplant technician, and a doctor who performed the surgery. During our inspection staff told us the fourth member of staff fulfilled an administrative role, we saw in patient records, they were referred to as the hair transplant consultant.

The hair transplant service is delivered from an area of the clinic separate from the other, non-regulated, cosmetic procedures offered at the clinic.

We have not previously inspected the service.

Updated 17 August 2023

We rated the service inadequate because:

• The registered manager did not have good oversight of the safety and quality of the service.
• Some staff did not complete training in key skills including safeguarding.
• The service did not always control infection risk well.
• Staff did not always complete and update risk assessments for each patient, identify and remove risk.
• The service did not always use systems and processes to safely prescribe, administer, record and store medicines.
• The service did not have clear processes to monitor the safety and effectiveness of the service and make improvements.
• The service did not always have up to date and accurate policies to govern the service and guide staff to deliver the service safely and did not ensure staff read them.
• The service did not operate robust recruitment processes for all staff and managers did not always check staff were competent for their roles.
• Staff did not always keep detailed, clear and up to date records and not all staff could access them.

However:

• The service planned care to meet the needs of patients. Patients had appointments at the time they wanted them, and they were able to get advice when they needed it.
• Staff provided emotional support to patients if they needed it.
• Staff treated patients with compassion and kindness.
• The design and layout of the service met relevant guidance.

Following this inspection. we served the provider a Warning Notice under Section 29 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008. The warning notice told the provider they were in breach of Regulations 12 and 17 and gave the provider a timescale to make improvements to achieve compliance. The principles we use when rating providers requires CQC to reflect enforcement action in our ratings. The warning notice identified concerns in the safe, effective and well-led domain. This means that the warning notice we served has limited the rating for safe, effective and well-led to inadequate.

Updated 17 August 2023

We rated this service Inadequate. See the overall summary above for details.