Newson Clinic

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 service met patient’s needs, and that staff treated patients equally and without discrimination. At our last assessment, we rated this key question as Good. At this assessment, the rating remains the same.

This service scored 79 (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 endeavoured to make sure patients were fully engaged with their care and treatment choices. Leaders told us since the service began in 2018; clinicians had totalled over 100,000 hours listening to patients’ unique stories and individualised health needs. Staff explained that their individualised approach to care ensured the optimal treatment options were available and patients were central to all decision-making processes.

Prior to their appointment, patients were provided with pre-consultation questionnaires which included asking patients what 3 things they wanted to get out of their appointment. Staff said clinicians went through these 3 requests at the end of their consultation to ensure they had fully addressed these for them.

The service also used patient feedback to identify areas for improvement and made necessary adjustments to ensure patient care was person-centred. After every appointment, the service asked patients to provide them with their feedback. We were provided with evidence of this post-appointment data collated during the 6 months prior to our assessment. Survey results from 2,216 patients found patients rated their overall Newson Clinic experience as ‘Outstanding’ 67%, ‘Good’ 30%, ‘Average’ 2%, ‘Poor’ 0.50%, and ‘Very disappointing’ 0.50%.

As part of our assessment, CQC requested and collated patient feedback directly. Our feedback from 562 patients found 495 patients were positive about the treatment they had received, and patients told us they received personalised care.

Staff recognised the diverse health and care needs of people using the service. The service identified patients who may be in need of extra support and made appropriate referrals to other healthcare professionals and organisations for them. Staff worked to build good relationships with external healthcare professionals so that patient care was joined-up, flexible and supported continuity.

Staff told us to support continuity they also made arrangements within the service for each clinician to be assigned particular administrative staff to work with them. This arrangement facilitated patient continuity and familiarity and enhanced the patient journey.

Newson Clinic’s mission is to listen, educate and empower to improve the health, wellbeing, and lives of women. The service was passionate about providing information and resources for both patients and people around the world.

As part of this endeavour, the Newson Clinic funds the ‘Balance’ app. Balance is a free app that helps women to track and log their symptoms, moods, periods and sleep pattern. With this information, people were able to generate and download a personalised ‘Health Report.’ This report enabled people to gain insights into their symptoms and health; and could also be used to share with their healthcare professional. In addition, the app is the world’s largest online hormone health library.

Data collated from the app showed 72% of users had gained access to treatment to alleviate their menopausal symptoms; 7 in 10 users of the app reported they felt their mental health had improved because of use of the app; and over half of users reported their physical health had improved since downloading the app.

In addition to the app, Dr Louise Newson provides both patients and the public worldwide with free education about hormone health through podcasts, social media videos and online resources; as well as free talks and presentations to organisations and charities both in the UK and abroad.

For patients of Newson Clinic, clinicians provided clear, accessible, and timely information to support fully informed decision‑making. Treatment options, associated risks, benefits, and expected outcomes were explained in a way that reflected individual patient’s communication needs. Information about recognising deterioration, raising concerns, and accessing urgent support was routinely shared by clinicians to promote patient safety and independence. We observed there was a range of healthcare information leaflets within the clinic for patients. The service also routinely reviewed patient feedback to improve information provided for patients.

The service made it easy for people to share feedback and ideas about their care and treatment. The service recognised the importance of patient feedback and learning was seen as an opportunity for improvement. Staff reviewed feedback they received including online reviews and this was shared with staff and discussed in service meetings.

Feedback could be given verbally in person, by email, by telephone, or patients could write to the service. Patients were encouraged to leave feedback and were asked for this after each appointment with the service.

We discussed with leaders changes that had been made as a result of feedback from patients. Staff told us they had brought Mirena coil treatments in-house at the clinic in response to patient feedback.

The service had a complaints policy in place, and we saw complaints were also discussed and reviewed with staff to improve the quality of care. There was a lead for complaints within the service who dealt with complaints and undertook analyses of trends and themes identified. Patient complaints were dealt with in a timely way and the service informed patients of any further action that may be available to them should they not be satisfied with the response to their complaint. For example, the service was subscribed to the Independent Sector Complaints Adjudication Service (ICAS)who provides independent adjudication on complaints about ICASsubscribers.

We discussed with staff an example of a patient complaint which resulted in learning for the service. This complaint related to a Mirena coil fitting. The patient reported that a gynaecologist had told her that her Mirena coil had not been fitted properly by the service. The service reassured the patient that the coil was fitted correctly, however, it is possible for the coil to move after being fitted. The service made changes to their processes in response to learning from this complaint. For example, clinicians were instructed to ensure they informed patients there is a risk that the Mirena coil may move at any time after being fitted and this information had been incorporated into the patient consent form. The patients were also given a scanned copy of their consent form with this information to take home after their appointment.

The results of CQC collated data of patient feedback for this assessment showed 88% of patients were positive about their experience of using Newson Clinic; 8% reported a negative experience; and 4% reported a mixed experience with both positive and negative aspects. The vast majority of patients felt listened to and fully involved in decisions about their care and treatment. Some patients who reported a negative experience of the service felt they had not been listened to when raising concerns about side effects of HRT they were experiencing including heavy bleeding.

Leaders were committed to ensuring that patients could access the service fairly and without barriers. To remove barriers, the service offered a range of practical accessibility measures tailored to individual patient needs. These included varied appointment types such as face to face, telephone, or secure remote consultations.

Patients had timely access to initial assessment, test results, diagnosis and treatment. During 2025, the clinic undertook an average of 2,075 patient appointments per month, however, new patients did not need to join a waiting list and were usually offered a virtual appointment within two weeks of contacting the service. There was a comprehensive registration process in place for patients with a pre-questionnaire to highlight any reasonable adjustments required prior to an appointment. A first appointment was usually scheduled for up to an hour to fully understand the patient’s symptoms and individual healthcare needs.

Patients could book appointments directly online or by telephone. Patients could speak to an administrator to facilitate this between 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday. Appointments were available between 8am and 5:30pm. There was a duty doctor available each day for any urgent enquiries and appointments. There was a free contact programme in place for all patients within 4 weeks of appointments. Leaders told us the service providing access to Mirena coil fittings, DEXA and ultrasound scanning onsite at the clinics, enhanced the patient journey and experience.

The clinic environment was designed to be accessible for patients with consultations on the ground floor at the Winton House clinic and lift access with wide corridors and accessible toilets at the Wimpole Street clinic.

We discussed access with leaders and the challenges related to patient access. The cost of treatment provided by the service was detailed for patients in advance, however, leaders were clear about the importance of not requesting unnecessary tests and appointments because of the cost to patients. The service supported patients if they wished to continue their treatment with their NHS GP and clinicians provided letters and shared information with patients’ NHS GP. Staff also offered an option for patients to go back to them in the future for a review if they wanted to. This ensured patients could still access the care and treatment which worked for them.

The Newson Clinic Balance app was free to both patients and the public to access resources and information to make informed choices about their health during perimenopause and menopause. Dr Louise Newson also provided free presentations and wrote booklets for a range of charities and organisations to provide people with hormone healthcare education to support them if they could not afford a private appointment.

Leaders recognised not all women had the option to seek private treatment. They felt the educational part of their work was key to helping women and getting improved outcomes for them in the future whether through a paid for service or not, and this was an important part of the service they provided. As such, the service developed a free app; engaged in numerous outreach and charity endeavours with organisations around the world; and provided social media videos and Podcasts for the general public.

The app had been created to make perimenopause and menopause support inclusive and accessible to everyone, globally. Through the app, leaders wanted to empower women and trans and non-binary people across the world to take control of their health and bodies.

The app had been recognised by Apple for the steps the service had taken to improve the app accessibility for those who are neurodiverse, as well as anyone with low vision, hearing loss, or restricted mobility.

The service engaged with a wide range of organisations to promote health education and support groups who may be at risk of poorer outcomes. For example, as part of their outreach work, leaders provided teaching sessions for women in 5 different prisons; and participated in events in Dallas and New York with a documentary maker about perimenopause and injustice to women who are not listened to.

Leaders also proactively sought ways to address any barriers to improve the patient experience within the clinic. The service took a holistic view to women’s health and staff explained they were not a ‘menopause’ clinic. For example, younger patients who were pre-menopausal presenting with hormone problems were treated at the clinic and clinical pathways for younger women had been developed.

The service had policies and processes in place to ensure equity in experiences and outcomes for all patients. There was an equality and diversity policy in place, and all staff had received this training. Prior to an appointment, as part of the patient booking form, staff were made aware of patient needs in advance such as if they had any hearing problems or disabilities.

For patients with hearing impairments, clinics were equipped with a hearing loop system. Accessible communication formats, including large‑print documents, and easy‑read information could be arranged for patients as required. For patients whose first language was not English, the service was able to access interpreting services for them.

The service routinely analysed clinical outcomes, patient experience data, and audit findings to identify any variations between different groups. If any disparities were identified, the service implemented targeted improvement actions to ensure everybody receives the support they need to achieve the best possible outcomes.

Leaders were enthusiastic about the varied health benefits of taking HRT identified by global research to protect patients’ future health such as cardiovascular health and osteoporosis. As such, the service offered additional services to patients such as DEXA scans. Patients had the opportunity to discuss their future care and treatment as part of the consultation process and the service also offered appointments to younger patients who were pre-menopausal and experiencing hormone-related problems.