• Clinic
  • Slimming clinic

Archived: Pandastar Ltd T/A National Slimming Centres (Hounslow) Also known as National Slimming and Cosmetic Clinic

Unit 9, Red Lion Court, Alexandra Road, Hounslow, Middlesex, TW3 1JS (020) 8569 6882

Provided and run by:
Pandastar Limited

Important: The provider of this service changed. See new profile

All Inspections

17 February 2016

During a routine inspection

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 17 February 2016 to ask the service the following key questions; Are services safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led?

Our findings were:

Are services safe?

We found that this service was not providing safe care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services effective?

We found that this service was providing effective care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services caring?

We found that this service was providing caring services in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services responsive?

We found that this service was providing responsive care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services well-led?

We found that this service was providing well-led care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Background

Pandastar Ltd T/A National Slimming Centres (Hounslow) provides weight loss treatment and services, including medicines and dietary advice to people accessing the service. The clinic is on the second floor of a shared building in a city centre location. The clinic is open for 3 to 4 hours six days a week on Mondays to Saturdays.

The clinic is run by doctors and a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who is registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 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.

This service is registered with CQC under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 in respect of the provision of advice or treatment by, or under the supervision of, a medical practitioner, including the prescribing of medicines for the purposes of weight reduction. At the National Slimming and Cosmetic Centre (Hounslow) the aesthetic cosmetic treatments that are also provided are exempt by law from CQC regulation. Therefore we were only able to inspect the treatment for weight reduction but not the aesthetic cosmetic services.

We received feedback about the clinic from nineteen completed Care Quality Commission comment cards. The observations made on the comment cards were all positive and reflected that people found staff to be helpful, encouraging, supportive and caring. On the day of the inspection we spoke with three people that used the service.

Our key findings were:

  • We found the service had good governance systems and quality assurance processes in place.
  • The feedback we received from patients was consistently positive about the care they received.
  • The provider did not always supply medicines in line with evidence based practice.
  • There were appropriately qualified staff in the clinic and staff felt supported to carry out their roles and responsibilities.
  • The provider did not have clearly defined and embedded systems, procedures and processes to keep people protected and safeguarded from abuse.

We identified regulations that were not being met and the provider must:

  • Ensure that effective systems and processes are in place to safeguard people from abuse.

You can see full details of the regulations not being met at the end of this report.

There were also areas where the provider could make improvements and should:

  • Review the ordering process for controlled drugs in line with changes in legislation.
  • Review the records of clinical decisions where medicines are not supplied in accordance with recognised clinical guidance and best practice.
  • Review the policies and procedures to ensure they are up-to-date, reflect current practice and legislation, and encourage continuous improvement.
  • Ensure that all doctors working at the clinic have Basic Life Support training and that there is a procedure in place for dealing with medical emergencies.
  • Review if reasonable adjustments can be made to accommodate a more diverse population. For example, access for people with disabilities and people whose first language is not English.
  • Carry out a risk assessment for Legionella.

6 December 2013

During a routine inspection

We spoke with three members of staff and four people using the service. People told us clear explanations were provided about the treatment options available along with information about weight management.

People told us they were treated with consideration and respect and that all consultations took place behind closed doors so that their privacy was maintained. People confirmed that an assessment of their suitability for treatment was carried out when they joined the service and when they had a break from the service.

One person told us 'they always discuss how things are and any changes to your medicine with you'. Another person said 'if you have not lost weight the manager is very good and she, along with the doctor, suggests other things to try'.

The provider had robust systems in place for medicines management to ensure people received their medicines safely. People told us the doctor and manager provided information on the possible side effects of the medicines prescribed.

The provider had systems in place to monitor the quality of services provided. Satisfaction surveys were carried out so that feedback could be obtained to make improvements to the service.

26 October 2012

During a routine inspection

During the inspection we spoke with six people who used the service to get their views about the quality of the service that they received. All people who talked with us said they were given information, for example on diet and nutrition, lifestyle and exercises and the various options to loose weight so they had all the necessary information to make informed decisions about their weight.

People said they received a leaflet with information about the medicines that they were prescribed so they understood the licensing and use of the medicines as well as the side effects and what to do if side effects did occur. All people told us their privacy and dignity was respected and one person said the service is 'discreet'. Another person said 'The staff do not make judgements about you and are just willing to help you with loosing weight'

We saw that people were asked about their needs and medical history when they first visited the clinic, so the doctor had all the necessary information to decide if it was safe to prescribe slimming medicines. People said their weight was monitored regularly and they were reviewed by the doctor before a new lot of medicines was prescribed to make sure it was safe for them to continue loosing weight.

The clinic had some governance arrangements in place to make sure the quality of the service was monitored and to identify areas for improvement, if there was any.