Archived: The Regenerative Clinic

Updated 28 November 2019

The Regenerative Clinic is an independent health service which offers a range of joint treatment services for sports injuries and osteoarthritis. It specialises in Lipogems and Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) treatment. These are minimally invasive treatments which use the patient’s own cells to treat pain and inflammation. The service also offers a range of other treatments such as pain-relieving injections and rejuvenation treatments. More information can be found at https://www.theregenerativeclinic.co.uk/.

The service is situated within Queen Anne Street Medical Centre, 18 – 22 Queen Anne Street, Marylebone, London W1G 8HU. It is a distinct service from the Medical Centre although various medical services are contracted from it including pharmacy services, resuscitation, clinical governance including practising privileged and revalidation, infection control and theatre services. The Provider operates another similar service in Birmingham which is separately registered and therefore was not visited as part of this inspection.

The leadership team at the service consists of two Consultant physicians and the Chief Executive who was also the registered manager of the service. The chief executive is also nominated individual. 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. A nominated individual is a person who has overall responsibility for supervising the management of the regulated activity and ensuring the quality of the services provided.

There is also an operations manager who had oversight of the day to day running of the service. Clinical services were provided by a number of specialists, consultants and professors in various medical fields including orthopaedics, maxillofacial, plastic and reconstructive surgeons, consultant physiotherapists, anaesthetists, spinal surgeons, radiologists, obstetricians and gynaecologists providing clinical care at various times. All clinicians were substantively employed within the NHS and worked at the service under practising privileges, (this is where a medical practitioner is granted permission to work in a private hospital or clinic in independent private practice). Non-clinical services were provided by a number of medical secretaries and researchers.

The service opens from 8am to 6pm Monday to Friday although they could be flexible to meet patient requirements.

The service is registered with the CQC to provide the following regulated activities: Diagnostic and screening procedures, Surgical procedures, Treatment of disease, disorder or injury

How we inspected this service

We carried out this inspection as a part of our comprehensive inspection programme of independent health providers and in response to concerns which were reported to us. Our inspection team was led by a CQC lead inspector, who was supported by a GP specialist advisor. The inspection was carried out on 23 September 2019. During the visit we:

• Spoke with two of the lead consultants and non-clinical members of the leadership team.

• Reviewed a sample of patient care and treatment records.

We did not speak to any patients as part of this inspection.

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 28 November 2019

This service is rated as Good overall. This service registered with the Care Quality Commission in 2018 and this inspection on 23 September 2019 was the service’s first inspection.

Are services safe? –  Good

Are services effective? –  Good

Are services caring? –  Good

Are services responsive? –  Good 

Are services well-led? –  Good

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at The Regenerative Clinic as part of our inspection programme and in response to concerns we received. The service was registered by the CQC on 17 July 2018 and had not yet been inspected.

The Regenerative Clinic is an independent health service which provides treatment for orthopaedic injuries, sports injuries, arthritis and other degenerative conditions. Although it also offers conventional surgery, its main focus is on regenerative treatments such as Lipogems and Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) therapy.

Our key findings were:

•The service had systems to assess, monitor and manage risks to patient safety. However, the service did not ensure all staff, in particular non-clinical staff had undergone the necessary training to underpin the safety systems and processes in place. The service learned from, and made changes as a result of, incidents and complaints.

•The service assessed need and delivered care in line with current legislation, standards and evidence-based guidance. There was a programme of regular audits in place through which it reviewed the effectiveness and appropriateness of the care provided.

•The service treated patients with kindness, respect and compassion.

•The service organised and delivered services to meet patients’ needs. Patients were able to access services within an appropriate timescale and complaints were managed appropriately.

•There was a clear leadership structure in place, and staff told us that they felt able to raise concerns and were confident that these would be addressed.

•Responsibilities, roles and systems of accountability supported good governance and management.

The areas where the provider should make improvements are:

•Ensure the provider and Registered Persons are aware of their obligation to inform the Care Quality Commission of certain notifiable incidents that occur whilst a regulated activity is being carried out as set out in the Care Quality Commission (Registration) Regulations 2009.

Dr Rosie Benneyworth BM BS BMedSci MRCGP

Chief Inspector of Primary Medical Services and Integrated Care