Kinnco Ltd Also known as AVA Clinics

On this page

• Overview
• Assessing needs
• Delivering evidence-based care and treatment
• How staff, teams and services work together
• Supporting people to live healthier lives
• Monitoring and improving outcomes
• Consent to care and treatment

We looked for evidence that staff involved people in decisions about their care and treatment and provided them advice and support.

This is the first inspection for this service 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.

The service made sure people’s care and treatment was effective by assessing and reviewing their needs and expectations with them.

The initial consultation was free of charge,and during this the consultant vascular surgeon explored their symptoms with them and discussed expectations. Some patients attended for medical reasons, others for purely cosmetic reasons, and some were a combination. The service worked to manage their expectations and ensure they understood the process of vein treatment. People were invited to a follow up appointment and could come in earlier if they had any concerns. Feedback from people using the service was positive.

The service planned and delivered people’s care and treatment with them, including what was important and mattered to them. They did this in line with legislation and current evidence-based good practice and standards.

All treatments provided were National Institute of Clinical Excellence(NICE) approved, except for thermavein which is a cosmetic treatment which the provider told us is still an evidence-based treatment. Both consultant vascular surgeons at the clinic were trained in this.

The service worked well to support people. They worked collaboratively with community service providers and GPs where appropriate. For example, the Medical Director of the service gave a talk on venous disease and intervention to a group of NHS and Private GPs.

Staff had access to the information they needed to appropriately assess, plan, and deliver people’s care, treatment, and support.

The service supported people to manage their health and wellbeing, and gave general health advice where appropriate, for example around national priorities including smoking, exercise and tackling obesity. They signposted them to other services as required.

The service routinely monitored people’s care and treatment to continuously improve it. They ensured that outcomes were positive and consistent, and that they met both clinical expectations and the expectations of people themselves.

The service conducted audits including an ultrasound audit and a venous procedures outcomes audit. This monitored success rates, complications and rate of recurrence. The provider told us they had had three instances of veins not closing post-procedure in the two years the clinic had been open, and this number was in line with the national statistic of a 95-98% closure rate.They offered an additional free of charge procedure for these patients.

The provider told us that they asked patients about their satisfaction with the results of their treatment but did not undertake formal feedback monitoring, however, this was something they were looking to implement in the future.

The service told people about their rights around consent and respected these when delivering person-centred care and treatment.

There was a clear process for consent in place. Consent forms were signed electronically in advance of treatment,and consent was obtained again verbally on the day of the procedure. There were different consent forms for each type of procedure, for example we viewed the one for foam sclerotherapy which detailed potential risks and side effects including bruising around the treated area within the first two weeks. It also included potential complications of not having treatment, and alternative treatment options.