Orchid Aesthetics Limited

Updated 21 December 2021

Orchid Aesthetics Limited is registered with the Care Quality Commission to provide the regulated activities of treatment of disease, disorder, or injury (TDDI), and surgical procedures from one registered location at the following address: 40 Sea Road, Sunderland, SR6 9BX. The service is provided in a fully adapted former shop and flat with medical treatment room and two treatment rooms. There is a toilet on the ground floor which is fully adapted for clients who have mobility issues and the service have a portable ramp which can be used for wheelchair access.

The service is provided by a nurse practitioner. Orchid Aesthetics Limited offers patients a range of services including; surgical thread lifts carried out using local anaesthesia (also known as Polydioxanone (PDO) thread lifting) and injections which are prescribed to help weight management in adults. Treatments are provided for adults aged 18 and over with appropriate consent. These services are available on a pre-bookable appointment basis. Patients can book appointments directly with the service by phone or online. The service is open for consultations weekly: Tuesday 9-3pm, Wednesday 9-5pm, Thursday 10-6pm, Friday 9-1pm and Saturday 9-1pm.

Before visiting we reviewed a range of information we hold about the service and information which was provided by the service before the inspection.

During the inspection:

• we spoke with the provider

• reviewed key documents which support the governance and delivery of the service

• made observations about the areas the service was delivered from

• reviewed a sample of treatment records

• looked at information the service used to deliver care and treatment plans

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 21 December 2021

This service is rated as Good overall. This is the first inspection of the service since CQC registration.

The key questions are rated as:

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 Orchid Aesthetics as part of our inspection programme. At the time of the inspection there were no patients attending or receiving regulated services. While we were unable to ask patients about the service, we were able to gather patient feedback from the service as part of our inspection.

This service is registered with CQC under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 in respect of some, but not all, of the services it provides. There are some exemptions from regulation by CQC which relate to types of regulated activities and services and these are set out in Schedule 1 and Schedule 2 of The Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. Orchid Aesthetics provides a range of non-surgical cosmetic services which are not within CQC scope of registration. Therefore, we do not inspect or report on these services.

Orchid Aesthetics was registered in respect of the provision of treatment of disease, disorder or injury and for surgical procedures. We inspected treatments relating to medical conditions. This included surgical thread lifts that are carried out using local anaesthesia (also known as Polydioxanone (PDO) thread lifting) and injections which are prescribed to help weight management in adults. The clinic offered other services such as Botox for aesthetic reasons, but these services are exempt from regulation. The individual provider is registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered people’. 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. The service has one clinician who is also the nominated CQC provider. The service employs a beautician and receptionist who are not involved in providing the CQC regulated services.

Our key findings were:

• The service provided care in a way that kept patients safe and protected them from avoidable harm.

• Patients received effective care and treatment that met their needs.

• Risk assessments had been completed to assure the provider of the safety of the premises.

• The clinician received appropriate training to carry out their roles.

• There was an open and transparent approach to safety and an effective system in place for reporting and recording incidents.

• The clinician maintained the necessary skills and competence to support the needs of patients.

• The clinician was up to date with current guidelines.

• The clinician was aware of, and complied with, the requirements of the Duty of Candour.

• The clinic made referrals to other relevant services in a timely manner

Dr Rosie Benneyworth BM BS BMedSci MRCGP
Chief Inspector of Primary Medical Services and Integrated Care