We spoke with the registered manager, two beauty therapists and four people who used the service.

We found people were involved in making decisions about their care and treatment and there was comprehensive information available to support them. One person said, “They definitely explained the process and answered any questions.”

There was a stringent system of checks to ensure that people received treatment that was safe and appropriate to their needs.

We found the premises were well maintained. The environment was pleasant and suitable for the regulated activity being carried out.

Government guidance that ensured the safe use of lasers was being followed.

There was a system of receiving and following up feedback from people who used the service.

There were arrangements to record, report and analyse critical incidents and complaints and to disseminate learning from these. There was a comprehensive audit programme that ensured the safety of staff and people who used the service.

People were satisfied with the service provided. One person summed up their experience as, “Friendly, informative and excellent.”

Patients told us that they received courteous and professional advice before, during and after treatments. They said they were offered choices and given options at all stages of their care. When we asked people if they were given enough information to ensure that they were able to make considered decisions regarding their treatment they said they were.

Patients we spoke with said they received treatment and care from well trained, polite and knowledgeable staff in clean and comfortable surroundings. We were told that the staff focus was on patient comfort and great care was taken to respect peoples’ privacy and dignity.

We found that people were provided with a range of information before consenting to treatments and that the provider ensured people were aware of the costs of treatment prior to this commencing. One person told us, "The nurse is very good. This was my first appointment, they gave me a lot of information and advice about my skin, and we looked at the options.”

We found that staff were respectful and courteous and that care and treatment was delivered in a safe and individual manner. One person who used the service told us, “I have no complaints at all, everything is perfect, I recommend them to all my friends and family.”

The clinic was clean and hygienic, and records we saw confirmed the staff followed infection control procedures.

Staff told us that they were subject to pre-employment checks that included previous employer references and a CRB (criminal records bureau) check. We were unable to confirm this by viewing records at the time as the manager was unavailable on 12 March 2013, and subsequently on 22 March 2013. We saw that staff received induction, and that they were supported by in house training to provide treatments.

We found that the clinic had a complaints policy in place that staff were able to describe, and that people we spoke with were aware of. Records of complaints we looked at demonstrated that complaints were dealt with efficiently and to people's satisfaction by the relevant member of the management team.