Infantts HQ

Updated 6 July 2023

Some babies are born with the condition tongue-tie, which has the medical name ankyloglossia. The fold of skin under the tongue that connects to the tongue to the bottom of the mouth is shorter than usual, which restricts the movement of the tongue. This can cause problems with breastfeeding or bottle-fed babies and the baby may not gain weight at the normal rate.

Some babies require a surgical intervention in order to release the tongue, which is known as a frenulotomy or frenotomy. Frenulotomy services may be offered by the NHS or independent healthcare professionals such as doctors, dentists or midwives.

Infantts HQ is operated by Infantts Ltd and offers private tongue-tie services to the community across North West England and Wales.

The service has been registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) since January 2020 to provide the following regulated activity:

• Surgical procedure

The service has three tongue-tie practitioners, four peer supporters and an administration worker. The registered manager has been in place since initial registration. The tongue-tie practitioners are registered midwives, the NHS was their substantiative employer and they worked for Infantts HQ on a part time basis. The team provides consultations and frenulotomy divisions for babies up to and including 6 months of age. Clinics operate through the week, evenings and weekends.

In addition to frenulotomy, the service offers baby feeding and lactation support which are not regulated by the CQC.

The service operates from five community health centres based in Liverpool, Manchester, Blackburn and Stoke-on-Trent. There are service level agreements in place with the five community health centres.

Activity during the reporting period May 2022 to May 2023:

• There were 776 frenulotomy procedures undertaken. Each procedure included feeding advice and support.
• There were 89 appointments exclusively for feeding advice and support.
• There were 30 follow-up consultations.

We have not previously inspected Infantts HQ.

Updated 6 July 2023

We have not previously rated this location. We rated it as good because:

• Staff received and kept up to date with their mandatory training. Staff had training on how to recognise and report abuse and they knew how to apply it. The service controlled infection risk well. The design, maintenance and use of facilities, premises and equipment kept people safe. Staff completed and updated risk assessments for babies and removed or minimised risks. The service had enough staff to provide care and they were able to adapt the clinic times according to availability. Records of baby’s care and treatment were clear, up-to-date, stored securely and safely and were easily available.
• Staff followed up-to-date policies to plan and deliver high quality care according to best practice and national guidance. The service provided specialist advice on feeding and hydration techniques. Staff monitored the effectiveness of care and treatment. The service made sure staff were competent for their roles. Key services were available, by arrangement, throughout the week and weekends. The practitioner worked with other healthcare professionals to benefit babies and their primary carers.
• Staff were highly motivated and passionate to treat primary carers and their babies with compassion and kindness. They respected their privacy and dignity, and took account of their individual needs. Staff provided exceptional emotional support to primary carers to minimise their anxiety and showed a high level of sensitivity and understanding when providing care. Staff fully supported primary carers to understand the condition of tongue tie and make decisions about whether to go ahead with the tongue tie procedure.
• The service responded and provided care in a way that met the needs of local people. The service was inclusive and took account of primary carers individual needs and preferences. The service was inclusive and took account of primary carers individual needs and preferences. Primary carers could access the service when they needed it and received the right care in a timely manner.
• Leaders had the skills and abilities to run the service. The service had a vision for what it wanted to achieve and was focused on sustainability of services and aligned to local plans within the wider health economy. Staff felt respected, supported and valued. They were focused on the needs of primary carers and their babies receiving care. Systems were used to manage performance effectively. Risks were identified and actions to reduce their impact were listed on the provider’s risk register. All staff were committed to continually learning and improving services.

However:

• The service did not have information on their website or leaflets in alternative languages spoken by the families living in the local community.
• The service did not collect or collate data on the ethnicity of primary carers and their babies to understand if their service was reflective of the local population.

Updated 6 July 2023

Please see overall summary.