Shropshire Skin Clinic was a small clinic providing a range of dermatology and aesthetic treatments and procedures to NHS and private patients. All of the people we spoke with were very happy with the service they received. One patient told us that they: "Always felt at ease" and that the staff were: "Very kind". A recent customer satisfaction survey showed that there were high levels of satisfaction with the care and treatment received.

People told us that they were always given detailed information about treatments. People we spoke with particularly valued the written information they received in addition to the verbal detail. People told us that they felt they had sufficient information to give valid consent to any treatment or procedure.

People told us that the clinic was always clean and tidy. We saw that care was being delivered in clean hygienic premises. There was ground floor access for people with limited mobility.

Staff told us that Shropshire Skin Clinic was a good place to work and that staff morale was high. We found that staff had good access to training, received annual appraisals and had regular supervision. We found that there were safe recruitment and selection processes in place.

We found that the proprietors had undertaken a range of audits to ensure that good practice was being followed. Staff were able to clearly explain their roles and responsibilities.

People told us they were “Very” satisfied with the care and treatment they received. They told us they were well informed about the risks and benefits of their treatment and the costs involved. One person said, “It’s always such a pleasurable experience when I go to them”. Another person said, “I have nothing but praise for them. They have improved my life no end”.

People told us they were always made welcome and were treated with dignity and respect. They said they felt involved in their treatment and their views were listened to and they were provided with the opportunity to ask questions during their consultation.

People told us they liked the location of the premises and the small discreet service offered. The premises were fit for purpose, well maintained and easily accessible. Appropriate checks had been carried out to ensure the safety of both patients and staff. People told us they always found the clinic clean and tidy.

People described staff as “Absolutely lovely” and “Very capable”. They considered staff were knowledgeable of procedures and were competent to safely and effectively carry out their work. Staff received appropriate and continuous professional development to maintain and develop their skills and knowledge.

People told us they would feel confident in raising concerns and complaints directly with the staff and considered that they would be listened to. They said they had never had cause to complain.

We visited Shropshire Skin Clinic, Much Wenlock, on 22 December 2011. We met with staff who worked at the clinic and both partners on 16 and 22 December 2011. Prior to our visit we had telephone discussions with nine people who had received services in order to gather their views of the service provided.

Everyone we contacted spoke very positively about their experiences. People told us,

“My experiences have always been excellent”.

“I can’t praise them enough”.

One person told us that the atmosphere was, “very homely and very friendly”.

People told us that they felt safe and confident with the treatments that they received and described the consultant and all of the staff as being very professional. Care was described as being very good and people’s overall experience was described as “fantastic”.

People felt involved and consulted in relation to how they received their treatment and we were told that treatment was responsive to people’s individual needs. People felt that they had received good written information prior to their sessions that told them all about the treatments that they were to receive. We saw examples of this information during our review. People told us that they were “well informed”.

People told us that they received initial assessments that were described as being, “in depth” and “lengthy”. People were confident that they were receiving the most appropriate treatments for their conditions. The consultant told us that, where agreed with the patients, he contacted the person’s GP. People were also very positive about their follow up treatment and after care support.

Everyone we spoke with told us that they had their views and experiences taken into account. Most people had completed a quality assurance questionnaire but everyone considered that their views and wishes had been listened to and acted upon during each and every visit.

The clinic had a number of systems in place to ensure that they monitored and reviewed the quality and safety of the service that they provided. Staff were well trained and well supported to provide “excellent” care and support.