Background to this inspection
Updated
10 December 2015
We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the service was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008.
A CQC Pharmacist Inspector carried out an unannounced inspection on 28 July 2015 .
We talked to people using the service, interviewed staff, observed practice, and reviewed documents including the medicines policy and 17 patient records.
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?
However this inspection was a carried out in response to concerns that had been raised with us, therefore we only looked at the management of medicines within the question ‘Is it safe?’.
Updated
10 December 2015
Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice
We carried out an unannounced inspection at Swiss Cottage Diet Clinic on 30 July 2015 to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008 in relation to the safe handling of medicines in the service.
‘CQC inspected the clinic on 15 July 2014 and asked the provider to make improvements regarding the management of medicines. We checked these areas as part of this focused inspection and found this had been resolved.
The centre provides individualised weight loss programmes, under medical supervision. It is open Monday to Saturday 11:30am to 6pm, and closed on Wednesdays.
Our key findings in the areas we inspected were as follows:
- People were given health checks, including calculating their BMI when they first attended the clinic. People were only treated if their BMI was in the acceptable higher range.
- Medicines were stored securely and handled safely
- Bendrofluazide was no longer prescribed or stocked by the clinic.
Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP
Chief Inspector of General Practice