We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 29 November 2017 to ask the service the following key questions; Are services safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led?

Our findings were:

Are services safe?

We found that this service was providing safe care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services effective?

We found that this service was providing effective care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services caring?

We found that this service was providing caring services in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services responsive?

We found that this service was providing responsive care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services well-led?

We found that this service was providing well-led care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Background

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the practice was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

The provider which is Solihull Medical Cosmetic Clinic is registered with the Care Quality Commission to provide surgical and non-surgical cosmetic procedures to people from all over the UK and abroad. The clinic is situated above a general practitioners practice in 20 Chelmsley Lane, Marston Green, Solihull, B37 7BG.

The Doctor is the registered manager. 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.

The clinic is situated within the GP practice, in a converted house in Marston Green and consists of a waiting area, a small administration office, two first floor consulting rooms and a ground floor level consulting room. The clinic space is shared with the GP practice. It is close to Marston Green railway station, and local bus stops. Parking at the clinic is very limited but there is on street parking in the surrounding streets. The ground floor clinic room is wheelchair accessible.

The clinic carries out a number of cosmetic treatments including;

• Chemical Peels
• Laser Treatments
• Microdermabrasion
• Intense Pulse Light Therapy
• Acne and Rosacea Treatments
• Bodytite (Liposuction) Procedures

Patients are referred into this service by their registered GP by a GP referral letter. The clinic is staffed by a doctor, a receptionist and an anaesthesician (a person qualified to carry out cosmetic treatments including laser and light treatments and chemical peels). The receptionist and anasthesician work part time from home on the days the clinic is not open to take calls and booking of appointments. The doctor works at the GP practice as the senior partner on non clinic days. Procedures are carried out by the doctor with a specialist interest in cosmetic surgery and the anasthesician with a focus on acne and rosacea. The clinic provides appointments on Wednesday and Fridays between 1pm and 7pm with occasional appointments available on Tuesday evenings and Saturday mornings if required.

The provider is not required to offer an out of hours service. However, patients are provided with the doctors mobile number for use in an emergency, a cosmetic surgeon covers times when the doctor is not available. Also, patients who need emergency medical assistance out of corporate operating hours have the option to seek assistance from alternative services such as the NHS 111 telephone service or accident and emergency. This is detailed on the Solihull Medical Cosmetic Clinic website and its patient information leaflet.

As part of our inspection, we asked for CQC comment cards to be completed by patients prior to our inspection. All of the 26 patient comment cards we received were positive about the service experienced. Patients said they felt the Solihull Medical Cosmetic Clinic offered an excellent service and staff were efficient, helpful and caring. They said staff treated them with dignity and respect and the care they received exceeded their expectations. Patients stated they felt all the staff took an interest in them as a person, the doctor was focussed on providing the right treatment for each individual and the overall impression was one of wanting to help patients.

The service is open on Wednesdays and Fridays between 1pm and 7pm and occasionally on Saturday mornings. Patients can book appointments via the service mobile number when the service is closed, they will be put through to staff who have secure external access to the appointment system.

Our key findings were:

• People who use the service were given appropriate information and support regarding their care or treatment.

• General leaflets about the service and the procedures carried out at the clinic were available. The patient guide folder provided details on the consultation process, staff and service policies.
• People expressed their views and were involved in making decisions about their care and treatment.

• Patient records contained a chronology of the discussions between each individual and the doctor. Care and treatment was planned and delivered in a way that was intended to ensure people's safety and welfare.
• The doctor was knowledgeable about their role and responsibilities in familiarising, themselves with people's medical details and needs, and the actions required to meet and record the provision of those needs.

• People who use the service were protected from the risk of abuse, because the provider had taken reasonable steps to identify the possibility of abuse and prevent abuse from happening.

There were areas where the provider could make improvements and should:

• Review the recording of significant or ‘near miss’ events.
• Review mandatory training for staff to ensure that it is completed and updated according to guidelines.

People who use the service were given appropriate information and support regarding their care or treatment. General leaflets about the service and the procedures carried out at the clinic were available. The patient guide folder provided details on the consultation process, staff and service policies.

People expressed their views and were involved in making decisions about their care and treatment. Patient records contained a chronology of the discussions between each individual and the doctor. Care and treatment was planned and delivered in a way that was intended to ensure people's safety and welfare.

The doctor was knowledgeable about their role and responsibilities in familiarising themselves with people's medical details and needs, and the actions required to meet and record the provision of those needs.

People who use the service were protected from the risk of abuse, because the provider had taken reasonable steps to identify the possibility of abuse and prevent abuse from happening