Dr Skin Surgery Ltd

On this page

• Overview
• Person-centred Care
• Care provision, Integration and continuity
• Providing Information
• Listening to and involving people
• Equity in access
• Equity in experiences and outcomes
• Planning for the future

We looked for evidence that the registered provider met people’s needs, and that staff treated people equally and without discrimination.

This is the first inspection for this registered provider since its registration with CQC. This key question has been rated as Good.

This service scored 75 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

Staff made sure people were at the centre of their care and treatment choices, and they decided, in partnership with people, how to respond to any relevant changes in people’s needs.

Patients who accessed Dr Skin Surgery Ltd self-referred and were able to make an appointment on a date, and at a time and location (3 separate sites) that suited them.

Patients received person-centred care. Before providing treatment, staff ensured they had adequate knowledge of the patient’s health, their medicines and any previous history of surgical procedures. Staff provided examples of when they had advised patients against treatment, for example due to their medical history or when the desired outcomes and expectations where not realistic.

Our review of clinical records showed people were supported to understand their individual condition, the expectations and were involved in planning for their care needs.

Staff spoke clearly about building relationships with people and delivering bespoke individual treatment plans, they emphasised that all patients and presentations were different the same and each plan of treatment was tailored to the individual needs.

The clinician understood the diverse health and care needs of their patients, so care was joined-up, flexible and supported choice and continuity.

They tailored the services to meet the specific needs of its users and had appropriate relationships with other services to address areas their clinic didn’t provide but that would be required for or would complement treatment they do provide.

Throughout the inspection, we saw examples of how care was personalised to each specific patient, including those with protected characteristics under the Equality Act. For example, the clinician described how skin lesions presented differently for different ethnicities and different skin types, treatment was adjusted due to this.

The clinic supplied appropriate, accurate and up-to-date information in formats that were tailored to individual needs.

Staff communicated and provided information in ways that supported patients to understand their treatment. They gave patients details about their health and treatment options to enable informed decision-making. For example, patient literature contained links to the latest guidance to optimise outcomes and results.

The website included clear information for each type of concern. Furthermore, the website included information via a range of blogs which related to skin concerns. At the time of our inspection, recent entries included blogs regarding: ‘All about skin cyst removal’, ‘Lipoma: What is it, what are the causes and how are they removed?’ and ‘How do you know whether a mole is cancerous?’ Patient feedback highlighted the clinician was excellent at providing information during consultations.

Processes in place for dealing with information met best practice standards in respect of GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation).

The clinic made it easy for patients to share feedback and ideas, or raise complaints about their care, treatment and support. This included patient feedback surveys following treatment. The clinician highlighted the importance that patients were involved at every stage and at every decision about their treatment.

All patient satisfaction was positive and there had been no complaints relating to the service provided. Therefore, we could not test whether the complaints procedure had been followed. Whilst no formal complaints had been made, we saw learning from patient feedback was evident and staff were able to identify changes made as a result of patient feedback, for example, the introduction of standby antibiotics following treatment.

The clinic made sure that people could access the care, support and treatment they needed when they needed it.

Patients could access the clinic to suit their needs for example online and by telephone, allowing for greater flexibility and convenience. Patients had a choice of 3 different sites, all of which were located in GP practices in Buckinghamshire which were appropriate for the services provided, for example, all 3 sites had automatic doors at each entrance.

Waiting times, delays and cancellations were minimal and managed appropriately. All appointments for treatments were pre-booked and included a cooling off period.

Staff prioritised patient convenience and ensured appointments ran on time and patients were not kept waiting. Staff told us the appointment schedule allowed sufficient time for the treatment to be carried out and time for recovery.

Dr Skin Surgery Ltd is not required to offer an out of hours service. Whilst there was an emergency contact line, patients who needed urgent medical assistance out of operating hours were advised on different services they should access, this was detailed in patient literature supplied by the clinic.

From the feedback collected by the service which we reviewed, patients reported timely access to initial assessment and treatment.

Staff actively listened to information about people who are most likely to experience inequality in experience or outcomes and tailored their care, support and treatment in response to this.

Staff and leaders actively listened to information and identified people who may need additional support to use the service such as physical access.

Staff understood the importance of providing an inclusive approach to care and made adjustments to support equity in people’s experience and outcomes.

Feedback from a variety of sources was positive regarding experiences, satisfaction and clinical outcomes.

Dr Skin Surgery Ltd is an independent private self-funding clinic. Whilst this quality statement is not fully applicable for this service, people were still provided with information about what to do if they required support post-appointment and any other future options.