Archived: The Cosmetic Clinic

Updated 9 September 2022

• The name of the registered provider is GlowmedP Ltd.
• The service operates from Unit 8, North Lynn Business Village, Bergen Way, North Lynn Industrial Estate, King’s Lynn, Norfolk PE30 2JG.
• The provider has an additional location at 226 Dogsthorpe Road, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, PE1 3PB. No regulated activities are provided from this location and hence this was not inspected.
• The provider first registered as Glowmed Ltd with the CQC in August 2019. The name was subsequently changed to GlowmedP Ltd and a new registration commenced in May 2022.
• The provider is registered to provide the regulated activities: diagnostic and screening procedures, surgical procedures and treatment of disease, disorder or injury and is registered to provide these services to adult patients only. The service provides a range of cosmetic treatments, most of which are out of scope. However, the service does offer non-surgical polydioxanone (PDO) thread lifts, joint injections and non-surgical orthopaedic consultations which require registration under the regulated activities of diagnostic and screening procedures, surgical procedures and the treatment of disease and disorder as they are carried out by a listed healthcare professional. The provider informed us that around 20 patients are treated for regulated activities per month.
• The clinic is situated in a two-storey building on a business park. There is free parking at this clinic.
• The service is open Mondays and Fridays 8.30am to 5:30pm and Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9am to 5pm.
• The provider’s website is https://www.ukcosmeticclinic.co.uk/

How we inspected this service

Before the inspection, we asked the provider to send us some information, which was reviewed prior to the site visit. We also reviewed information held by the CQC on our internal systems.

During the inspection, we spoke with members of staff who were present, including the Registered Manager and two other members of staff. We made observations of the facilities and service provision and reviewed documents, records and information held by the service

To get to the heart of patients’ experiences of care and treatment, we always ask the following five questions:

• Is it safe?
• Is it effective?
• Is it caring?
• Is it responsive to people’s needs?
• Is it well-led?

These questions therefore formed the framework for the areas we looked at during the inspection.

Updated 9 September 2022

This service is rated as Requires improvement overall.

The key questions are rated as:

Are services safe? – Requires improvement

Are services effective? – Requires improvement

Are services caring? – Good

Are services responsive? – Good

Are services well-led? – Requires improvement

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at The Cosmetic Clinic, Unit 8 North Lynn Business Village, Bergen Way, North Lynn Industrial Estate, King’s Lynn, Norfolk PE30 2JG. The inspection was undertaken to rate the service as this was the first inspection since registration with CQC.

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. The service provides surgical and non-surgical cosmetic treatments, some of which are in-scope such as non-surgical polydioxanone (PDO) thread lifts, joint injections and non-surgical orthopaedic consultations, and some treatments which are out of scope such as beauty treatments.

The Medical Director is the registered manager. A registered manager is a person who is registered with the Care Quality Commission 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 service did not have wholly effective systems and processes in place to keep people safe.
• We saw evidence that clinicians assessed needs, but care and treatment was not always delivered in line with current legislation, standards and guidance.
• Staff treated patients with compassion, respect and kindness and involved them in decisions about their care.
• The service organised and delivered services to meet patients’ needs. It took account of patient needs and preferences.
• There were clear responsibilities, roles and systems of accountability to support good governance and management, but these were not always effective.

The areas where the provider must make improvements as they are in breach of regulations are:

• Establish effective systems and processes to ensure good governance in accordance with the fundamental standards of care.

(Please see the specific details on action required at the end of this report).

The areas where the provider should make improvements are:

• Review post-operative written information so it is in a format which patients will easily understand.
• Review the consent process to ensure all necessary information is recorded.
• Review the whistleblowing policy to promote freedom to speak up.

Dr Sean O’Kelly BSc MB ChB MSc DCH FRCA

Chief Inspector of Hospitals and Interim Chief Inspector of Primary Medical Services